It was purchased in Australia for $ 100. The seller said that about 30 years ago bought it in Austria, and there is no other information. I like it very much. It has no markings, but in very good condition. Small scratches on the surface. But overall is very good :-)

I found this at a local consignment shop. I believe it's a genuine faience amulet of Sekhmet. The ankh is sterling and a name, Yaakov Kohn, is stamped on the back. Anyone know anything about this artist?

A fine antique oval porcelain plaque nicely painted with a city river scene
including a bridge and rowing boats on the river, and a Cathedral.
Wonderful detail of the landscape! I think it was made circa 1900. Love this very much!

Thanks to our fellow collector on CW courtenayantiques I was able to find out all I can tell you now about this piece.
I have here for your consideration a Art Nouveau (1890-1914)/ Jugendstil (name of this period in Germany) Buckle made by FRIEDRICH REUSSWIG - Hanau - 1903 - 1926. .
From the years 1903 to 1926 there is a record of his business in Hanau, Germany. From what I have seen of his work it is all very detailed.....usually figural or depicting scenes of a bygone era or angelic compositions. His works of art are somewhat like reading from a story book.. And that is exactly what these wonderful pieces do.
This angle figure has been modeled with lovely details and exceptional craftsmanship and is handsome and whimsical.
The hallmarks on the back site of the buckle with: Fleur de Lis / Crown with the letter R under it / Lion Passant.
Dimensions: Dimensions: 7 x 4.5 cm Weight: 24 grams. Weight: 24 grams.
The detailed scenes on the piece are crisp and clear with a wonderful patina.
This lovely German sterling silver figural piece would make a fine addition to any collection captures a story and romanticism of another age.
Very Rare and Very Collectable , nice to wear as pendant.

Picked this up the other day. Its marked K10 and under that its reads FI 302. I believe its gold but I've never seen it marked this way. Its such a cool piece with the etched crystal. No markings on the crystal. Any info is appreciated...so much knowledge on this site! Thanks!

VERY RARE COLOR PHOTOGRAPH SUPPLIED BY TIM WHETSTONE, DIRECTOR OF "THE LAWRENCE DALE BELL MUSEUM", IN MENTONE, IND.. ON THE RIGHT IS --LAWRENCE 'LARRY' DALE BELL -- ON THE LEFT IS -- KING PETER II -- KING OF YUGOSLAVIA. BOTH GENTLEMEN ARE SURROUNDED BY SECURITY. AND BOTH ARE WEARING WOODEN P-39 AIRACOBRA BROOCHES/BADGES SUPPLIED BY BELL AIRCRAFT COMPANY TO IMPORTANT VISITORS TO THE BELL AIRCRAFT PLANT WHERE THE P-39 AIRACOBRA'S WERE BEING MANUFACTURED AND TEST FLIGHTS WERE CONDUCTED. ----- AS SEEN IN THE ABOVE PHOTOGRAPH, KING PETER II, IS WEARING A YUGOSLAVIA MILITARY UNIFORM, BUT KING PETER II, ALSO BELONGED TO THE ROYAL AIR FORCE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM (R.A.F.). AFTER THE DEATH OF BOTH OF HIS PARENTS, KING PETER II, GODSON OF KING GEORGE VI AND QUEEN ELIZABETH ( THE QUEEN MUM ) SPENT MUCH OF HIS YOUNGER YEARS AT WINDSOR CASTLE. --------- KING PETER II, WAS OFTEN IN THE COMPANY OF PRESIDENT FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT, WINSTON CHURCHILL, KING GEORGE VI AND QUEEN ELIZABETH OF ENGLAND. AND OTHER MILITARY LEADERS AND HEADS OF STATES. ---------- THE UNITED KINGDOM PURCHASED APROX. ONE THOUSAND P-39 AIRACOBRA FIGHTER AIRPLANES ( P-400 CARIBOU ), PRIOR TO AND DURING WORLD WAR II. ------ (PICTURE #2 AND #3 --THE P-39 AIRACOBRA DIAMOND AND PLATINUM BROOCH ) ------------- (PICTURE #4 -- LARRY BELL AND WIFE, LUCILLE M. BELL ) ------ RESEARCH IS CONTINUING ------ WHLONG ( whlong2715@gmail.com ). http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/160445-passport-of-lucille-m-bell-wife-of-law?in=user http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/153716-two-secret-p-39-airacobra-historical-air?in=user http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/153267-p-39-airacobra---historical-fighter-ai?in=user http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/153194-lawrence-dale-bell-and-lucille-m-bell?in=userhttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/152370-bell-aircraft-p-39-airacobra-historical?in=user http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/152491-part-two--lucille-and-larry-bell--worl?in=user

I found this in my aunt's angel collection and believe she purchased it from an antique shop in the 1980's sometime. I was told it was made of wood pieced together and carved into this image. The tag on it, from the antique shop, said the frame was gold filled. I am looking for any information about this type of pin and also any ideas as to it's age, origin, maker.

Several years ago I was at an auction, the high end auction by the same company I ran a weekly auction for. The crowd was pretty big, and sitting in the row in front of me was a good friend who likes to buy precious metals.

I had looked the box over well at preview, even though it was quite dirty and had not been polished in quite some time. Even through the tarnish and dirt, I had seen the mark on the underside “Welsch”, the number 900, and a hallmark that looked like an Alpaca. Having been a diehard Archeology buff as a kid, I knew immediately that the figures on the box were representative of Inca imagery.

I had previewed the item quite well, and when this box came up for auction I started bidding. Not many bidders were interested, and before I knew it I was the owner at $90 after opening it at $50. Peggy looked at me and asked what it was, and my friend turned around and looked at me and said… I missed that at preview. What was it? I smiled and told him…. A 900 fine Silver Jewelry casket that weighed well over a pound. He was not a happy camper, but I certainly was!! At the time Silver was around $20 an ounce, putting scrap value alone at about $400. It is certainly not something I would ever scrap though... It is far too gorgeous and well done. The intricacy of the images on the box are quite stunning and overall the quality of the casting is excellent.

Casa Welsch was founded in 1858 and was a subsidiary of a German firm Geo Ehni & Co. A building erected by the company and opened in 1906 is still standing in Lima, and is occupied by a Starbucks Coffee. They apparently still operate as a retailer in Lima, but not as silversmiths, and are known by the name Cabuchon. I am not sure when the name changed or when they quit making Silver. Geo Ehni, the German owner, was apparently a driving force in the creation of the Chamber of commerce in Lima in the late 1800’s.

The box measures 5.5 inches wide, 5 inches deep, and 3 inches tall. The interior is done in a blue velvet on a stiff cloth like material. The box weighs in at a touch over 1.6 lbs of 900 fine silver. At the time I bought it, the scrap value of the box was around $400, although I would never scrap it.

I love the detail work and imagery on the box, and from what I have found, it appears that these were produced in the 1930's and 40's. Many pieces of jewelry by the firm are marked both Welsch and Peru, indicating most likely made for export. My box does not have the Peru mark on it and was likely produced for the market in Peru.

A great auction find at a really good price. Still amazes me to this day that no one there really seemed to realize what it was.

For me this is a superb pin Normandy Cross with floral decoration,
Solid silver and gold with an old diamond (tested). From nineteenth century.
In good condition with some traces of use, small lack in terms of decor and c-clasp i will be repaired.
That wear potential well together with my Croix de la Jeanette pendant (see photo 4) though that might be a bit too much of a good thing.
Size: Height 1 inch ( 2.6 cm) - wide 1.7 inches (4.3 cm) – weight 7 gr.

I believe this unsigned 18ct gold Liberty & Co opal pendant is part of a group designed by Archibald Knox, that also includes the previous opal pendant I listed just prior to this one.

It's another deceptively simple design, with the bale hanging off-centre to accentuate the Celtic interlace, and the centre-of-gravity of the pendant adjusted by the weight of the opal.

The last pic is a brooch sold by Bonhams, Lot 409 in their Sale 14200 of Decorative Arts Including Jewellery, Gordon Russell and Cotswald School Furniture, 28 Nov 2006. That one is stamped WHH, and has a similar Celtic interlace to the edge, as does the previous opal pendant I listed.

The pendant above is 25mm high, the opal is 15 x 12mm and probably weighs about 5cts.

At the time this pendant was made (I'm guessing circa 1905) Lightning Ridge black opal had only just been discovered and Liberty was still using high quality boulder opal from Queensland.

Opal is so difficult to photograph, I've tried a few different angles and backgrounds to try and capture the colour range.

It seems to be in a similar style to my jadeite pieces, I first thought it could be jet or onyx but it seems to be slightly translucent if you look through the holes and it appears to be red, not brown like jet. If anyone has any ideas?

Most average people never see one of these in their lifetimes. This is a special pewter medallion awarded to Norbertine monks for their special contributions to the Order. This medallion was made in Toulouse, France by André Léon Galtié in the 1950s. It is signed on both sides. I bought it at a flea market in Urbana, Illinois in 1984 for a couple of bucks. I wrote to the Norbertines of St. Norbert Abby in De Pere, Wisconsin and sent them photocopies of the medallion. The head of the Abbey wrote back and said he had no idea how a medal like this would have made it's way into a flea market. I can only surmise that the family of the monk who earned it received it after the death of the monk. It probably ended up in an estate sale at some point.

The writing is all in Latin. One side depicts St. Norbert being struck down by lightning, and the reverse is the spider in the chalice. I had, at one time, translated the Latin but it's very late here now and I'm going to bed. Goodnight.

The only mark I can see is 925 on the clasp, but the settings, the links, and the clasp lead me to think it could be Mexican, possibly a one of a kind commissioned piece. It does not strike me as very old. I admire the skill of the maker who was able to seamlessly put together and set in silver narrow wedges of amber (which can be notoriously brittle). Each link has a different number of mosaic pieces. This is the only example of this type of work with amber that I've seen so far. Native American silversmiths are known to sometimes use this pattern but their stone, coral, or shell inlays are usually rather thin and mostly have a flat surface. Do not hesitate to correct me if I'm wrong or offer suggestions for further research.

Hi I have this lovely ring that I am hoping someone will know more about as I think it's Art Deco or even maybe older, not sure what this kind of cut of the stones is called,which should help. It looks antique to me

This house where I helped my friend have the estate sale, so many people came and where very happy with their purchases, so many great deals, thousands of items.
This rock I took because I liked it, is it a quartz crystal matrix ?

Hi this is another necklace I found and had to spend a few days cleaning but it's very nice and has some nice clear markings but I don't know what they mean and can't get a good enough pic to show, I have no idea how old this is or maker.

This lady's ring is manufactured in local goldsmith workshops of Vidin in the second half of the 19th century. It is of pure silver and is made with the technique of filigree. It will mark a producer because local goldsmiths have not signed their production!

This is another old find. Because I know absolutely nothing about it, I have not posted earlier. It is marked twice 925 and it gives the impression to be amber but I wouldn’t bet on it. There are some fine lines engraved into the back. I think I would like it better if it would be plane. The bail is moveable. The way it works is rather interesting.

I bought this years ago at a yard sale. I was told it was silver and Victorian moonstone. There don't seem to be any marks on it from a workshop, and a Google search didn't turn up anything that looked very similar.

The necklace measures 16.5 inches stretched out and the center pendant is about 2 inches round.

If anyone has seen anything similar, or knows anything about this style, I'd love to hear more. Thanks!

Another $1.00 and some change down the drain, lol~! These are also part of today's flea market lot. These earrings were tarnished and I believe the person selling thought they were brass. They are stamped .925, and after a cleaning I see that there looks to be a gold coating over the silver.

Another of today's flea market finds!!! SOLID SILVER with what I think is either jet or onyx. I've never seen a bracelet like this and don't know what the silver marks mean - yet. This bracelet is very well made.
Less than $2.50 paid.

This is an oldie. I've also never seen a clasp like this on a piece of jewelry. One of the pieces of jet/onyx has a hairline crack on one side, but no matter. This bracelet stays with me!

I recently showed a pair of Regency Period "micro-coral" necklaces, that must've required astonishing skill to drill and thread the coral segments.

It reminded me of this seed pearl necklace, with pearls as small as 1mm, which would've needed the same astonishing dexterity to drill and thread.

This necklace is another example of Georgian sentimental jewellery that was full of meaning.

The gold clasp depicts two clasped hands, known as a "fede", from the Italian "Mani in Fede", meaning "hands (clasped) in trust".

The clasped hands represent the trust of friendship and the trusting lovers' grasp. It is also the handshake that seals a contract, and this pearl necklace is highly likely to have been one of the betrothal gifts that helped seal a marriage contract.

In the language of gems, pearls stand for purity and sanctity, with a similar meaning to the bride's white wedding gown.

As a betrothal gift, probably worn by a bride on her wedding day in the early 1800's, it still echoes its significance to us across a couple of centuries.

I attended a lecture by an expert in Tiffany and she said the jewelry was always marked Tiffany. Soooo, given the findings and similar clasp, should I just assume that these were available to a variety of jewelers for use?

Pluto is a big news item right now, but the Georgians were also interested in the planets.

A gold ring, circa 1820, the decorative scalloped shank terminating in an oval head with a variety of gemstones. The stones represent the qualities of the different planets, reflecting the keen interest in astrology and planetary influences at the time. Certain gems were perceived to have positive astrological effects.

This cameo was a gift over twenty years ago. It is 18kt in its original box but no papers at all. I believe it may be laser cut but am unsure. It has never been used and is in pristine condition. There are details on the back, limited edition of 200 and I believe it was bought in Newcastle (UK) at Goldsmiths. I have never found anyone by the name of Rico the designer. Any information would be of interest.

Once I got interested in jewellery I soon realised there was a much wider range of collecting and treasure hunting opportunities than the Art Nouveau / Art & Crafts stuff that I'd looked for in the past.

Georgian era jewellery is exquisitely hand made, including processes like chasing (engraving) and repousse (hammering out a design from the rear), and cannetille (fine raised wire work like filigree), and often pieces use combinations of, or all these processes together.

Mourning jewellery was the most common form for Late Georgian jewellery, but not every piece with a lock of hair in it is for mourning.

Another sentimental use of jewellery was the love token. A lock of hair in a locket was a keep-sake given by a lover or spouse, and the jewel that contained it was full of meaning for the giver and recipient.

The first one (second pic after the group of three) was bought off a blurry picture on an auction site. The seller didn't seem to notice how beautifully it was made, and also didn't realise that the gemstones Ruby, Emerald, Garnet, Aquamarine, Ruby, Diamond spell out the acrostic message REGARD. Regard means "to see", and also means "love", so this is a love token with a rich range of meanings - "I saw you and fell in love", "I love to see you", and simply "I love you".

The locket includes raised cannetille work, and the fine frosted effect on the jeweled hand clasp is also a tour-de-force by a Georgian goldsmith.

The next (3rd pic) heart shaped love token locket was bought at an antique fair for close to the scrap value. The dealer had never noticed the hallmarks inside, including the Georgian duty mark, W for Birmingham 1820, and maker TN (probably the vinaigrette maker Thomas Newbold).

Again we see the superb craftsmanship of the period, with a classic combination of repousee work and chasing. It's also a great example of how jewelry of the time was poignant with meaning.

The locket is heart shaped, symbolizing love (of course). Bordering this on both sides are grape vines bearing fruit. One side has flowers set with pearls, the other flowers set with turquoise.

The grape vine signifies both victory and eternity. The pearl set flowers represent daisies, symbolizing purity, innocence, and loyal love. The turquoise flower is the forget-me-not, with a meaning of lasting true love. The snake chain is also part of the symbolism, as the snake is another symbol of eternity, and the clasp enameled with forget-me-not flowers completes the chain.

The last one is another REGARD locket, shown enlarged. This is only 20mm x 20mm, but the work is so fine it can only really be appreciated under 20x enlargement. Again this is on a snake chain, and with a hand closure. It was another piece bought at public auction in front of an under-appreciative audience who weren't looking far past its scrap value.

In a lifetime I'd feel lucky to find one of these, to have found three makes me wonder if there is some truth in the old saying "Good Things Come In Threes".

It is amazing that these two coral necklaces have stayed together for almost 200 years. It is also totally amazing how fine they are, as the coral beads are only about 1.25mm in diameter.

These would've originally been threaded on horse hair, but how on earth did they drill them?

One is 20in long, the other is 18in and the clasps are 18ct gold, sized about 18 x 12mm. The little carved coral rosette inserts on the clasps are a lovely feature, and the gold work is fabulous - look how the gold balls graduate in size on each side of the clasp. At the time these were made, (circa 1830 I think) the clasps would've been all hand fabricated.

They make a wonderfully versatile set, as the two clasps are identical, meaning they can clip into each other to make one long necklace, or they can be worn as two bracelets, or worn as shown in the last pic: Portrait of a lady wearing coral jewellery, by Louis Édouard Rioult (1790 - 1855).

Memento Mori ring, circa 1720, known as a skeletal, as the whole length of the skeleton is employed on the outside of the hoop, together with other emblems. The earliest noted example is dated 1659. This ring is unusual, as the skeleton on this band is accompanied by a running hound and floral motif.

I am always surprised at how tiny these rings are -- this one is only 2mm in width, yet the enameling is amazing!

I found this Cameo in a Flea Market/Garage Sale today and was surprised to see the carved Sailboats. It is not a stunner like the ones that Cameojan uploads but in 18K gold and with Sailboats, which I love, I had to get it. The price at $20.00 was quite reasonable. It measures 1 1/2" by 1 1/4" and has a gold twist ring decoration around the gold rim. RER(BOB)

I bought these today at a local flea market. I knew what they were when I bought them. I paid the asking price of----> $13.86<------ for both bracelets~! Justin Morris and V. Hicks are very well known Navajo silversmiths. Their jewelry is beautiful.

3"x2x1". Small jewellery box of some kind. Appears to be made of a wood not plastic, with felt liner. The metal clasp also has the initials on it. Think it belonged to my Great Nan. Never heard of the name before & wondered if anyone heard of it?

I'm looking for help identifying the culture this ring came from. It's about US size 12 and it could have been used as currency. Viking culture also seemed like a promising direction for a while but I was unable to find a similar item, even though it feels like I've seen something like that before. The closest items I've found have one "knob", this has four. Please let me know if you are able to provide any insight.

I bought this together with the brooch I posted today. No marks at all, so was sold to me as "non-silver" - $2.50. My pawn shop friend tested it and it is definitely silver. About an inch long. I have never seen a pendant like this one. I wonder if it's a one off.

This is gorgeous. I bought it today from a street market for $2.50. I was told it wasn't silver. It was tarnished, so the mark on the pin wasn't readily noticeable. Size is 1"x 1". I took it to a friend at the local pawn shop and she tested it to be sure. I didn't see the gold accents until I got home and did a bit of cleaning on it. The last pic was taken off my pc, as I couldn't get a clear enough photo with my phone camera/magnifier. It looks like either a Buffalo, a Ram or....??? I would like to, if possible, find out who made this brooch.

Coral is always so beautiful and so I am so happy to find a bracelet that already match splendid in my other jewelry with coral eg. the brooch. of coral grape.
The bracelet is 19 cm long and 6 relay is composed of grape bunches of coral beads with leaves set into Vermeil. There is a mark I suppose 800 for the silver content (see photo 3).
Photo number 4 shows my little coral jewelry collection at this moment:
1. Angel coral skin 14k gold beads and clasp necklace. 2. Gold (14K)coral drop earrings. 3. Bunch of Vermeil coral grapes earring. 4. Vermeil bunch of coral Brooch.
I hope you like it as I do!

Marked 925 with a symbol above that ...not figured that symbol out yet.
Amber & Sterling Silver Pendant
Another find in Vermont while on vacation.
To all the major jewelry collector's out there.....you guy's would have been in heaven!! So many amazing pieces there!

Hello guys and dolls,
I haven't been able to visit as much as I'd have liked lately because...
I was busy getting married!! And going on honeymoon etc. but I'm back now with my latest fad: brooches and scarf clips. (I bought vintage jewellery for my wedding and became hooked)
Anyway, feast your peepers on this. I love it and it's taken pride of place amongst my little - but growing fast - collection.
I'd love your ideas or info, as always.
Ciao, for now.
Mand x

My wife like off beat stuff like myself ,she came home with this massive 18kt Angel Skin Coral ring.
I think it must have been made for a special occasion or person.
The pictures tell the story.
I think she did well.

I found this big, chunky ring a few weeks ago. I know nothing about it, other than its made from mixed metals and one large carnelean bead thats now made into the center piece of the ring.it has some tiny bells around the carnelean too.
Could it be a turkmen piece?
I m not sure of it, but I believe its not a modern piece. Why would people nowadays bother to make a ring around an old bead?
But thats only my theory ;-)
Anyways, I think its pretty. I hope you enjoy it too.

Here's today's pick from Salvation Army. A bonsai of semi-precious gemstones and cultured pearls. It measures 7" across the top at it's widest and stands 4 1/2" tall. Cast in a heavy base metal and gold plated. Made by Swoboda Jewelry around the early 1950's.
Described as follows :
A Swoboda bonsai-style gemstone tree in a small planter with fused quartz gravel. The tree has several beautiful gemstone flowers, each formed by several tumbled stones surrounding a central pearl. The flowers were made from tumbled amethyst, aventurine, citrine, rose quartz, peridot and amazonite.
They made a lot of beautiful tumbled stone jewelry as well. Rocktumbler.com site has tons of info about their jewelry and trees. A great read . -Mike-

The popularity of tumbled stones in the United States was kindled by a jewelry project launched by Edward Swoboda of Los Angeles in the early 1950s. Mr. Swoboda was a mineral dealer who received a shipment of tourmaline and beryl that was of lower quality than he had hoped for. He decided to craft some of the colorful specimens into smooth baroque shapes, polish them by hand and mount them in jewelry.
His experiment was an enormous success. People wanted more jewelry than he was easily able to make by hand. What a great problem to have! He knew that he needed a way to mass-produce baroque-shape stones with a high polish.

Invention of the Electric Rock Tumbler

Mr. Swoboda collaborated with Warren Jones and they produced a “gem tumbler” that processed crushed gem materials into beautiful baroque-shaped stones. The concept of their machine was a rotating barrel into which crushed gem material was loaded along with water and coarse silicon carbide grit.

The machine turned the barrel day after day as tiny pieces of grit were rubbed between the gem particles. This abrasion rounded the gem particles and smoothed their surfaces. After a few weeks, the pieces of gem material inside were tumbled into nice rounded baroque shapes with smooth surfaces. The stones were then sanded with smaller sizes of grit, then cleaned and buffed to a high luster in the barrel with a rock polish. This was the same procedure used when polishing stones by hand, except it was done in a barrel to many thousands of stones at a time!

“Uncut but Highly Polished”

One of Swoboda Jewelry’s ads from a 1952 issue of Lapidary Journal described the stones as:
“gemstones in natural, baroque shapes,
uncut but highly polished.”
This was a great way to describe the stones! “Uncut” and “highly polished” were absolutely true!
The Swoboda Jewelry product line grew into large collection of brooches, necklaces, earrings and other jewelry items. Each of the pieces was adorned with some combination of small tumbled stones, pearls, beads and simply-cut leaves.

Piqué jewelry is a style and type of jewelry all unto itself. It was most popular during the Victorian era and it can be found as far back as the 18th Century. Piqué (pronounced “pee-kay”) is gold or silver, or sometimes a combination of both, inlayed into another material.
Often the material was tortoiseshell (Hawksbill tortoise) and was also used for the making of other tortoiseshell material such as fans, boxes etc) sometimes even from elephant ivory. The tortoiseshell seemed to be the most popular, probably because of its light weight and being easy to “mould” into other shapes. Tortoiseshell is a natural thermoplastic , meaning that it is quite malleable when heated/warmed. Very fine gold or silver would be fashioned into either fine “rods” or “leaf” designs and the pressed into the already warmed tortoiseshell. After the gold and/or silver was set, the shell was left to cool down which would then contract to hold the metal in place. Prior to 1870, the metals were cut by hand allowing for very fine and intricate detail then after 1870, machines started to do the work resulting in more straight and angular designs. Piqué jewelry can most commonly be found in earrings and pendants, and the designs and coloring are amazing to admire. It is fantastic for the animals (turtles) that the use of their shell is prohibited since the beginning of the last century. But it is unfortunate that this type of jewelry is not currently very popular because they are all masterpieces of craftsmanship and patience. This form of jewelry making is now a lost art as both the elephant and Hawksbill turtle are protected species, meaning that piqué jewelry will become harder and harder to find as the years go by.
Although piqué jewelry at the moment are not very much appreciated show they still often see a piece of craftsmanship. This again is a beautiful brooch that I can add to my small collection of these separate type of jewelry that you can see on the last photo. I hope that you can enjoy.

I got to rummage through an old wood jewelry box at Salvation today and found this ring among the old religious medals and various other odds and ends. The little bit of info I found was that it was made by the Ideal Mfg Co. in Providence R.I. and they did produce a lot of sterling religious medals. They used "Theda" in the middle of the word "sterling"as their jewelry line name. Supposedly after silent screen actress Theda Bara. The company started doing business in 1921 and continued through the 30's and 40's. I'm not quite sure if the center stone is a real citrine /topaz or glass but it is studded with marcasites which really do sparkle just not in my picture. The band is a little crooked but all the stones are there. It has a great "art deco" design which I think dates from the 20's 0r 30's. -Mike-

This antique intaglio wax seal shows the Devil carrying Cupid on his back.

The motto in French says "LE DIABLE EMPORTE L'AMOUR", meaning "The Devil Take Love" or simply put, "To Hell With Love" (shown reversed in the second pic so it can be read).

This type of wax seal is called a "Tassie Gem" after its Scottish creator, James Tassie (1735–1799), who with his nephew, William Tassie, developed and commercialised a method to mold cameos and engraved intaglios into glass gems. These continued to be manufactured and sold into the 1830's.

James and William collected and published a huge catalog of carved gems, and some of these were reproduced in cameos by Josiah Wedgwood in his famous jasperwares.

James Tassie and Josiah Wedgwood were both competitors and collaborators. Tassie was the one commissioned to make the original casts of the Portland Vase. These became a major part of Wedgwood's repertoire, and the moulds provided by Tassie to Wedgwood produced many of the intaglios and cameos that made up a large part of Wedgwood’s jasper production.

The Tassies also produced cameo portraits of many of the famous people of their time, and these are important works of art and historical records in their own right.

They also made these seals to order for setting in fobs and rings - remember this was a time when everyone who was anyone carried a seal to secure and identify their correspondence.

This particular motto features in "A Catalogue of Engraved Gems Collected by William Tassie" that was published in 1830 (cf item 1493 in the last pic above).

While old seals are still reasonably easy to find, I think the sentiment on this one is rather extraordinary, and I'd love to know the circumstances that caused someone to adopt this as their motto.

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to buy 4 pairs of museum-quality, ancient gold earrings -- it is a miracle that they have survived. I haven't tested the gold, but early gold was not pure, usually combined with copper so it could be formed into objects.

- These gold and garnet earrings show the early techniques of granulation and filigree. The Etruscans (natives of Etruia, a region of Central Italy, located in an area that covered part of what are now Tuscany, Lazio, and Umbria), learned these techniques from Syro-Phoenician jewelers who settled in southern Etruria and taught local apprentices the art of granulation and filigree during the 9th and 8th centuries BC. I have not seen another example of such earrings, but have circa dated them to 500-400 BC.

- Large Greco-Roman gold repoussé earrings of Maenads. Repoussé was another technique perfected by the Etruscans and literally translated means to push back. The technique consists of hammering the design behind the ornament with the relief on the opposite side. These earrings have three ascending hollow gold beads separated by double-rows of tiny gold granules terminating in a conical collar with granular decoration from which emerges the hollow gold head of a maenad. She is wearing a double ivy wreath in her finely detailed hair which is centrally parted and drawn into a chignon at the back, with two long curls framing her face. The earring hoops are a combination of twisted wire leading to smooth wire with the end of the hoop passing into a loop at the back of the maenad's head. In astonishingly intact condition and circa 400-300 BC.

- Greco-Roman gold repoussé bull's-head earrings, each with a hoop of tapering twisted wire that hooks through a loop on the underside of the head, the heads emerging from ornamented collars with fine detailing. The heads are rather smooshed.... Circa 400-300 BC

- Final photo shows sizing of 3 of the earrings. The smallest is most likely a child's earring and is a lion's head. I have yet to get a good photo of these.... The Maenad is 1 3/4", the bull's head is 1" and the lion's head is 1/2".

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A note about Castellani....

Castellani was one of the leading Italian jewelry design firms of the 19th century. In 1836 when the Etruscan Regolini-Galassi Tombs were opened, papal authorities invited Fortunato Pio Castellani to study the jewelry discovered there. He could not immediately reproduce the soldering, even when checking all ancient (Italian) sources. However at the time, there were still some traditional goldsmiths, in remote areas of the former Etruscan area, that used similar techniques with similar results as the Etruscan jewelry. Castellani deduced the techniques of the Etruscans from these artisans. Such an approach is not uncommon, and anthropological analysis is often applied to explain archaeological finds, especially in 'traditional societies' where little has changed over the centuries.

I like the unusual and unique,this next piece will fit that bill.
18kt gold head of Native American Chief.
Beautiful three color enameling makes up head dress.
The Chiefs eyes has two diamonds,two sapphires,and 6 rubies are in band of head dress.
The is also 18kt.
Faint markers mark but 18k seen.
Unusual and very nice.

I love this ring! It is in very typical Sesessionist Jugendstil style from around 1900. With a stylized flower motif and a central red garnet. It must be German or Austrian. It is reminiscent of the designs by Max Gradl. Marked 925 and maker's mark LI, which I have not been able to identify, unfortunately.

VERY VINTAGE MOONSTONE WITH NICE PERIODOTS all in a "DECO" setting.(see photo 3, my cat "moonstone" holding it on her back. She has "perodot!!! Eyes. I feel late 20s, thru 30s. The jewelry was all "old" but I snatched and grabbed before another "pricer" showed up!
From "poshy" estate sale years ago--Cost $5 !!!!I couldn't get it on my finger fast enough and "Beat it" outta there". 20 years ago--- I need to clean it now,I have been timid--but all is sound and tight. how? Should I have a jewler do it?

Happy Fourth of July C.W.! In 1969, this 18k white gold ring won a top honors for Jonathan Bailey. For almost forty six years, EUH"MA has been kept silent; what a great awakening for the jewelry industry and the arts. This ring is enclosed in a synthetic display case. The ring is approximately 2-7/8 inch tall and 15/16 of an inch circumference. Enjoy! Rene.

I've recently shown a pair of Murrle Bennett silver and enamel earrings bought for $20. They were the first items that prompted me to hunt for jewellery.

A few months later I was staying in a hotel with time to kill and browsing eBay when this brooch came up in a search. It's quite big, 35cm wide and 25cm high, and wonderfully mobile when worn. The wide drop is made up of 5 circles set with real rubies, and it dangles, then the peridot drops dangle below it, so the piece is always moving and catching the light.

It was badly listed and I got it for about US$100.

This is an example of Murrle Bennett's more exclusive fine jewellery creations in the Jugendstil and Secessionist style. As you can see it is 15ct gold, popular in the British market in the early 1900's, and it's also stamped DEPOSE which is a mark seen on pieces intended for the French market.

It was around this time I realised that by ignoring jewellery I'd neglected a fruitful area of collecting and treasure hunting, and I've never looked back.

I was at an antique fair four years ago, and a seller had a huge pile of jewellery laid out that you could sort through and buy pieces for $20 each, or 3 for $50. I wasn't really into jewellery then, but browsed on the off-chance I'd see a piece of Alexander Ritchie Scottish silver.

I found one of these earrings in the pile, and the mark looked familiar. I had heard of Murrle Bennett, but never dreamed I'd find a piece, so then back into the pile to see if the other earring was there, it was. The seller charged me $20, apparently a pair of earrings counted as one item.

So then out to the car park to look at the mark in the light and search the mark on my cellphone. The site where I found it was on Cathy Gordon's wonderful series of collections.

A few month's later I found the Murrle Bennett brooch I'll show in a minute and I was hooked. A couple of years later I got the necklace, which I recognised un-attributed at an auction, it had the same mark as the earrings. Unfortunately someone else had spotted it too so I had to pay a lot more than $20!

This carved hardstone is probably a pale amethyst, the gold acid tests to at least 22ct.

The hardstone is quite small, about 11cm x 9.5cm. The image is that of Medusa, and it's known as a Gorgoneion (Medusa was one of the three Gorgon sisters). Gorgoneions were amulets to protect from evil.

In Greek mythology Medusa's face was so terrifying that those who looked upon it were turned to stone. Perseus killed her and took her head to use as a weapon, before giving it to Athena who set in in her shield.

Gorgoneions were a common subject for cameos throughout the Roman period, and jet versions were favored as ring stones by Roman soldiers in the Western provinces, from Germany to Britain, in the 2nd to 4th Centuries AD.

I'm wondering if anyone has any idea how old the actual ringstone might be?

The high carat gold, prong setting, and lack of hallmarks suggests to me the gold ring was made in Victorian times, and the shape of the ring itself is almost Art Nouveau, so I'd date the gold ring to circa 1900.

I bought it from a guy who visited London in the 60's, and stayed with a friend whose mother had a stall at Covent Garden Markets. She sold bric-a-brac and jewellery, and gave him the ring when he left to come back to NZ.

Hi!
Having a hard time identifying the hallmark on this ring. Looks like a Maltese cross the Otsby and Barton used is some of their jewelry but it's not followed by any other markings? There is a faded 14k mark on opposite side inside ring. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks in advance!

About 1850s French silver and gold (24K) pendant with 30 seed pearls as suggested by Kyratango hand painted on (probably) ivory cupid in centre.
Sterling Silver and 24K gold (acid tested with touchstone) .The inner depicting a cherub.
On the edited bail of the pendant is a French mark of what I think to be the boar's head.
The weight of the jewel is 8.1 grams.

Hi All ,
Recently came across this beautiful ring yet can't seem to find any information about it. It's 18k gold with a couple of faint markings inside. Any help in identifying this piece would be appreciated!

For many years, I have kept an eye out for jewelry made with demantoid garnets (or demented garnets, as a dear friend calls them). This is a selection of a few of my pieces, including an unset stone I recently acquired. I will post a second set of pictures as Part 2.

Demantoid is the green gemstone variety of the mineral andradite, a member of the garnet group of minerals. Andradite is a calcium- and iron-rich garnet. The chemical formula is Ca3Fe2(SiO4)3 with chromium substitution as the cause of the demantoid green color. Ferric iron is the cause of the yellow in the stone.

While garnets have been known since ancient times, the demantoid variety was not discovered until 1868 in Russia's western central Ural Mountains. The initial deposits were alluvial, but they have also been found up to 3 meters deep, with a total of five deposits of demantoid in this area.

Possessing an unusual green color and a dispersion greater than that of diamond, it quickly became a treasured and expensive gemstone. From the time of the demantoids find until about 1919, they were popular in Russia, as the famous Peter Carl Fabergé made jewelry with them. George Kunz, from Tiffany, loved them also and apparently bought up a huge supply of the stones. They are most often found in jewelry from the Edwardian period, including Art Nouveau pieces (Lalique used them frequently). I have also found them in Suffrage-style jewelry.

With the fall of the Tsar, then two World Wars and the rise of Communism, demantoids went out of style. In the 1970s and 1980s, there was some small amount of mining in the Urals. There has also been major finds in Namibia (1996, the Green Dragon Mine) and in other locations including Italy (Val Malenco, Lombardy), Iran (Kerman) and Afghanistan.

Demantoid is the green variety of andradite garnet, so demantoids are always primarily green (by definition), but the exact shade ranges from a very strong yellowish green to nearly the color of a fine emerald. Some stones have a brownish cast, which is due to iron. Its dispersion (0.057) is unusually high, and this is often visible as "fire" (rainbow-colored flashes of light), although in some cases the stone's green body color can render this effect less noticeable. Their luster is adamantine. Demantoid also has a high refractive index of 1.80 to 1.89.

Russian demantoid often contain inclusions of chrysotile, which is a type of asbestos. These fibers radiate out from a very small crystal of chromite. These inclusions are feathery golden threads that tend to curve and resemble the tail of a horse, and are therefore referred to as horsetail inclusions. In gemology, the presence of such inclusions is regarded as 'diagnostic' for natural demantoid (i.e., these inclusions are not found in any other green gemstone). Some gemstones are more valuable for their inclusions, and 'horsetails' can be regarded as desirable features in demantoid, as they are taken as an indication of prestigious Russian origin.

- Suffragette ring: A fine gold ring, circa 1910, set with a central faceted amethyst surrounded by demantoid garnets and diamonds, in the symbolic colors of the Suffragette movement - green for hope, white for purity and purple for regal dignity. The quality of this ring suggests it was made for a wealthy supporter of the movement.

Rare Antique hat pin in good condition, with some imagination looks like a wave !
Very fine inlaid lines in red and yellow color , gold, copper? Very nice and rare! Acid tested for silver (not possible to test the decorations).
Presumably silver sign on the pin, but can not define it.
Size: 6.3 cm - 3.5 cm wide

Very pretty Edwardian (1901-1915) brooch. I looked up the clasp/hinge to date it. Carries the Dutch Sword stamp for silver (1906-1953) and a number which I haven't deciphered as of yet.

The chain is stamped "375" and "9 K" and is a total of 17" long.

The brooch and chain were in a box of costume jewelry in a local shop which deals in new and second hand items. I had never been in there before, and curiosity got the better of me when I saw "Tweedehands" (second hand) stenciled on the window.

Hi I have this large heavy jewellery box , and am wondering if any collector of these will be willing to tell me more about this one, as I have no idea of age or maker, I don't even know what type of wood it is, just loved the look and bought it.

This is a hatpin as I have not seen before. I think it is of French origin (Limoges)made of Vermeil and there is an enameled profile of a women's head.
There are two labels which I think it's a dog of boar head to the left, but it is so small that it is very difficult to see (see photo 4).
The pin has a total of about 7 cm long and the head is 2.2 cm in diameter.

Emerald green/black marble paint. Very light wood with goldfish bronze handles and mesh screen. Pink felt inside of drawers. Sticker on bottom says Prestige. I know nothing about this and would like to learn as I have a growing interest in collecting. Thank you.

Bought this yesterday at a flea market for $10.00 (!!!!!). It's very heavy for it's size. Marked .835 with the Dutch sword mark after 1953. Garnet accents.
It measures 1/2" on each of the four sides. The whole pendant is about 1.5 inches long. I have never seen this sort of design and think it's beautiful.

Some years back I came across this ring that looked like the ring that one that Princess Diana had.
I bought it but just leave it in the safe,still it is very nice 1.2 ct diamond with 1.75 ct of sapphires (1.5 ct content stone).

Pendant 1: Lord Nelson Commemorative Pendant -- a commemorative allegorical pendant circa 1805, celebrating Nelson's victory while mourning his death at the Battle of Trafalgar. It depicts in watercolor the winged figure of Victory sounding her trumpet above warships, with cannons blazing, and unfurling a scroll inscribed, "Nelson Victory." The pendant is further inscribed: "He Conquered when he Fell." The pendant measures 1 and 3/4 inches by one inch. For similar Nelson commemorative pendants, see the National Maritime Museum collection.
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Pendant 2: Nelson Defeats Villeneuve -- A rare allegorical pendant, circa 1805, celebrating Nelson's victory over Admiral de Villeneuve at the Battle of Trafalgar. The pendant is painted in watercolor and set within a gilt metal suspension locket, measuring 1 and 3/4 inches by one inch. There is braided hair in the back panel.

It depicts the Admiral kneeling before Neptune with border inscribed: "Monsieur Invoking Neptune to give up his Trident to Nelson", symbolizing Nelson's dominance of the sea.

The splendidly named Pierre-Charles-Jean-Baptiste-Silverstre de Villeneuve was a French naval officer during the Napoleonic Wars and in command of the French and Spanish fleets defeated by Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Historians have not been kind to Villeneuve. His decision to leave Cadiz is often cited as the cause of the Battle of Trafalgar. He saw defeat by Nelson as inevitable, yet went out to engage in battle in a fit of pique and vanity upon learning that another French officer had been sent to take his place. Following defeat, Villeneuve was captured by the British, but later permitted to return to France. He was found dead with seven knife wounds in Rennes in 1806. A verdict of suicide was recorded. This verdict was widely mocked by the British press and rumors abounded that Napoleon had secretly ordered his murder.

A rare memorial ring commemorating the death of Admiral Nelson at Trafalgar. As was customary, memorial rings were produced for the Vice-Admiral's family and friends to wear. The enamel rectangular bezel is decorated with the Gothic letters N for Nelson surmounted by a Viscount's coronet and a B for Bronté (he was Duke of Bronté in the Kingdom of Sicily) surmounted by a ducal coronet with Trafalgar below, the inside inscribed, "lost to his Country 21 Oct 1805 Aged 47" and the shank engraved with Nelson's Latin motto 'PALMAN QUI MERUIT FERAT', (let him bear the palm of victory who has won it).

There is slight enamel loss to the white enamel surround and a slight scratch on the face.

Memorial rings were distributed to at least fifty-eight recipients, thirty-one of which were Lord Nelson's relatives. This ring is engraved VI (which corresponds to the ring associated with Catherine Matchum, Nelson's sister); ring was made by John Salter and its provenance is the Matcham Family Sussex by descent. Several of the 58 rings made are in National Maritime museum.

Information below from a number of sources...
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It is difficult to appreciate today the symbolic significance of the victory at Trafalgar to the British nation in 1805. Nelson was worshiped as a secular deity, the savior of the nation. His victory guaranteed British control of the seas and created a global maritime power that endured for over a century.

Despite persistent seasickness, his career flourished as he moved from ship to ship in the East Indies and the Caribbean, showing a flair for naval strategy. He became one of the youngest ever captains in the Royal Navy. He saw active service in the American War of Independence, in the wars of the French Revolution and in battles in the East Indies, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, with his most famous battles being the Nile, Copenhagen and Trafalgar (considered one of the most important battles in British history).

Before the battle of Trafalgar, Nelson sent a signal in semaphore to his fleet: "England expects that every man will do his duty." Nelson died in the battle; his last words were "Thank God I have done my duty." When the news of his death reached England, the king wept, as did thousands of ordinary citizens, who lined the route of his funeral.

Nelson was one of the most loved leaders among the seamen of the Royal Navy and fought side by side with his crews during many of the battles. He was wounded often, losing an arm and the sight in one eye. He lost most of his teeth to scurvy in 1782 and fought to eradicate it from his ships in later voyages.

However, Nelson's personality was complex, often characterized by a desire to be noticed, both by his superiors, and the general public. He was easily flattered by praise, and dismayed when he felt he was not given sufficient credit for his actions. This led him to take risks, and to enthusiastically publicize his resultant successes. Nelson was also highly confident in his abilities, determined and able to make important decisions. His active career meant that he was considerably experienced in combat, and was a shrewd judge of his opponents, able to identify and exploit his enemies' weaknesses. He was often prone to insecurities however, as well as violent mood swings, and was extremely vain: he loved to receive decorations, tributes and praise.

His personal life came to be as well known as his military career. He was quite a womanizer, and ultimately left his marriage to Lady Nelson, formerly Frances Nisbet, to live with his mistress, Lady Hamilton, and their child, Horatia.

The ornate part is 11" long, no clasp, only two rings for attaching a ribbon.
I thought it was older than 1838, but it bears the French boar's head for Paris Silver 1838/1962...
Decor is kind of trophy, can't say for sure, but look like crossed sword and saber.
Of course, lacking some marcasites, and back is rather dinged!
I wasn't able yet to find any similar!
Searched for blue Vauxhall/marcasites/silver, blue crystal marcasites silver....
I would be very pleased to have your thoughts!

I got this little ring at an antiques market. It is made of a silver alloy. When I bought it, it was so dirty that the inscription was not even visible. Once cleaned the writing was revealed, which made it really interesting.
Somebody once translated it for me. It is in ancient Arabic script, and it is a sort of ‘memento mori’. It reads something like “good fortune does not last forever”.
It dates back to the early medieval period, roughly 6th to 13th centuries, and it probably originated somewhere in the Byzantine Empire. Condition is fine for its age, and I do wear it occasionally.

I found these earclips at a fleamarket yesterday, and I had to have them. I thought they were bakelite, but when I got home I immediatly inspected them more closely, and the turned out to be amber!
I have never before seen this type of amber earclips. they scream 1930 s to me, but the clips seem much newer and they have a stamp on them I cannot read, so i think these might be 1960 s Kaliningrad amber earclips. (See my earlier post from some time ago of a leaf and greaps kaliningrad amber brooch). Whatdo you think?

Antique earrings are items where the retail value is often wildly disproportionate to the intrinsic value of the materials like gold and gemstones that went into them.

Quality Georgian and Victorian earrings are sought after, so when I saw the first set of 35mm long shield and bow earrings come up at an estate auction I figured they'd go for a lot of money. I was astonished when no one else bid and they were knocked down to me for the auctioneer's minimum start. When I looked at them under a glass, the bow is filigree cannetille, and when I had them tested they're 20k gold with natural rubies. I figure they're about 1820's.

These second set are 48mm long, in a style many people would call Etruscan Revival, but I think they're more naturalistic. The gold is 12k, and the stones are pastes. They're hand made from thin sheets of gold, the detail of the gold work on the leaves is amazing. They're quite hard to date accurately, but I'd say some time from 1820 - 1870.

Last set are 25mm long, in 18k gold set with turquoises, with a quatrefoil shape, decorated in rope work and engraved with little Celtic style interlaces around the edges. I think these are from the relatively rare (for jewellery) Gothic Revival period, about 1840 - 1870.

My wife is always very pleased when I bring home nice earrings, apparently you can never have too many of them!

One of my favorite necklaces, one I wear often. A lovely flat-cut garnet necklace in the Rococo manner, circa 1760, of vibrant almandine garnets foiled cherry-red and set in silver closed-back settings.

The necklace consists of foliate and floral cluster panels with a central stylized flowerburst. The necklace is 42 cm [16.5 inches] long and the flowerburst center measures 4 cm by 3.2 cm [ 1.5 inches by 1 and 1/4 inches]. In wonderful bright condition, except for a small chip to one garnet and three old patches to silver reverse

An exquisite enamel miniature of a young girl, circa 1820. The hint of dark clouds and rose-cut diamond wings denote it as a most poignant mourning piece for a young child. It measures 1 and 1/8 inches by 1 and 1/3 inches and is immaculate.

Possibly by Jean Baptiste Jacques Augustin? See photo above of portrait of the Charles-Ferdinand, Duc de Berry (1778-1820) by Jean Baptiste Jacques Augustin (1759-1832), a leading French painter for comparison....

I don't specifically collect mourning items, but sometimes I see these totally stunning items going for a song and can't resist giving them a home. They're like tiny time machines that give us a glimpse into the world of 200 years ago.

The first piece is a gold Lyre Brooch framed in pearls, just over an inch high (excluding the pin). I would date this, and the pin that follows, to the late Georgian - Regency - Early Victorian period, based on their constructions.

The Lyre Brooch has an unusual feature that I haven't seen before. The hair container is placed like a flower pot (or funerary urn), and behind the lyre there is a fine rope-work tree or bush growing out of the pot.

In mourning jewellery the Pearls are tears, and the Lyre represents the peacefulness of heaven. I would guess that the tree is the Tree of Life, one analogy of which is Jacob's Ladder, by which the angels descend, and ascend to heaven.

So I would say the message is "I am shedding tears for my departed and am comforted they have ascended to the peacefulness of heaven".

Second piece is a gold pin, just over two inches long, set with a hardstone cameo of a Forget-me-not flower, surrounded by a Snake, with scales picked out in black enamel. The snake has little orange gemstone eyes and a suspended tongue of two pearls.

The forget-me-not flower means just that - always remembered, and the snake is everlasting love. The pearls are tears for the departed, but I think they also have another message. There was a myth that pearls can heal the poison of snake bites.

So I think the message is "I will never forget my eternal love, and the memory of them will help to heal my grief".

So in these two pieces I think we see an additional purpose beyond mourning. The items could act as a "consolation" that helped the mourner move beyond their grief.

These pieces of jewellery were almost like magical amulets to their owners, and when we see or handle something so personal, that dates back over 200 years, they are magical to us too.

These South Sea pearl earrings I got more than a week ago on my birthday from my husband and son.
Since long I've been waiting for this type of earrings and finally my wish came true.
This are magnificent Lyppens (famous known jeweler in Amsterdam) 18k gold earrings with large Bolsheviks 0.25 cts. each, and very generous, lustrous South Sea pearls, approximately 1.5 x 1.3cm in original box.
The last photo is one of the possible combination with my so-called Gold Zeeuwse Strik, earlier published here on CW.

Most rare ring, circa 1820, in support of Caroline of Brunswick [1768-1821], Queen Consort of King George IV.

George, Prince of Wales, and Princess Caroline of Brunswick were married on 8 April 1795. Although they were first cousins, the couple had not met before the marriage was arranged. Neither the Prince of Wales nor the Princess Caroline wanted the match, but they both agreed to it.

Though the King despised his wife, she was popular with the British people and also had many supporters of noble rank. George wished to divorce Caroline for her alleged adultery with an Italian manservant whilst traveling abroad, though he himself had many mistresses. The King insisted a bill be put before Parliament to dissolve the marriage.

The debate over this bill lasted for over three months and was effectively a most public trial of his wife. Eventually the bill was defeated but on the day of George's coronation, Caroline was refused entry to Westminster Abbey - the door was literally shut in her face.

Poor Caroline died two weeks later. On her coffin, a gilt plate was affixed with her own epitaph - here lies Caroline of Brunswick, the injured Queen of England.

This ring, for a supporter of the injured Queen, has a rayed enameled center inscribed CR for Caroline Regina under a Royal Crown. It is surrounded by stones spelling her name in the acrostic manner -

The beautifully sculpted round pin depicts a coin with the profile of a woman representing “Spring” (Printemps), the intricate details show flowers in her hair and a curl draped over her bare shoulder. The pin’s stick is twisted at the top and the piece remains in the original jewelry box from the well respected jewelry shop of Eugene Marcus in Berlin.

Emile Vernier was one of the leaders of the revival of “Medallist” art in France around 1886. He received numerous medals from the Academy of Fine Arts in Paris, the Paris Exposition of 1899 and the prestigious French Medal of Honour.

I don't know if there were other medals created representing the seasons by Vernier.

This double-sided stickpin shows Persimmon (raced 1895-1897), a thoroughbred racehorse owned by Edward, Prince of Wales) on one side and a fox head on the other.

The mount assembly and housing is constructed as an early racing spur, pegged in the center to allow for full swivel movement. 9K gold with original box marked Wilson & Gill The Goldsmiths 139 Regent Street London W.

Just wanting to show you a piece I thought that was interesting. I have had for a while. This is pretty heavy and really intricately hand made. I believe this is either a Foo Dog or a Dragon. Any thoughts or new information would be appreciated :). Thanks for looking
Lee

This is a vintage quite large sterling silver pendant with beautiful Asian symbols on it as the crane. Not marked but acid tested. The cross-section is 5 cm. I suppose it's of Japanese origin but I'm not sure.
My question to you:
Is this pendant Japanese or Chinese. Please give your opinion?

A few years ago a number of items with Russian interest surfaced in New Zealand. A Faberge box turned up in a household lot at a disposal auction and subsequently sold to Wartski for $87,750 (Webbs, 20 June 2012).

I found the Paul Lebas cameo of Alexander III and the Beilin bracelet I've shown previously on CW. I also picked up a great C19th filigree silver vodka tray, and some Harbin silver originating from the Pacific port where many White Russian emigres departed on journeys to new lives. A few of these White Russians even reached Australia and New Zealand.

At the time I reviewed hundreds, perhaps thousands, of images of cameos to help identify my Paul Lebas cameo, and I also bought research books such as Portrait Jewels, by Diana Scarisbrick.

When I saw this hardstone cameo brooch in a local auction I knew I'd seen something very similar, but where? Problem with browsing hundreds of sites, is how to retrace your steps? At the auction bored bullion buyers stopped bidding at a price just below what they could scrap it for, and I walked away with it.

This brooch is exquisite, it's only 24 x 20mm, around the size of a US quarter coin (0.95in diameter). The portrait is carved in a hardstone that's probably a carnelian, and it's mounted in hand chased and assembled high carat gold. Both the cameo and gold work are so fine that you can really only see them properly under magnification.

I would guess the style of the gold work is Neoclassical, which would date it circa 1770 - 1820. That date range helped me find where I'd seen the similar piece, it's the gold work that frames a cameo in the top of a snuff box that belonged to Paul I, Tsar of Russia from 1796 - 1801. The cameo of Paul I was carved by his wife Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna, and the snuff box is in the Alexander Suvorov Memorial Museum in St Petersburg, hence the slightly blurry pic taken through a glass cabinet.

Is it a coincidence that my cameo portrait looks a lot like Maria Feodorovna? The comparison image is a self-portrait from another cameo she carved of herself and her husband, now in the Met.

So is this all just wishful thinking? Is there any connection with Russia? Or is my gold brooch a standard type, with gold work seen in several brooches of the period, set with carnelian portraits of women from a time when the fashion meant all women looked like this?

Probably, however I haven't found another similar brooch or gold mounted cameo anywhere as yet, despite a couple of years of searching.

Any help or comments will be gratefully accepted, even if they deflate my dreams.

Unusual memento mori pendant for lives lost at sea - a watercolor miniature on parchment, under crystal and set to a gold pendant, circa 1720. The miniature is of Stella Maris, protectress of mariners and seafarers. She is portrayed in her lapis blue robe covered in golden stars and wearing a golden starburst crown. The skull, urn and crucifix in the scene symbolize souls lost at sea. The pendant measures 3 cm by 3.8 cm [ 1 and 1/4 inches by 1 and 1/3 inches].

Stella Maris is an aspect of the Christian Virgin Mary as spiritual guide. She is called Mary, Star of the Sea, and protects those who make their living on the oceans such as mariners and seafarers. She is shown on a lunar crescent wearing a starry crown, Her typical iconography, which likely references Revelations 12:1 of the Bible, which describes "a woman... with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of 12 stars." The moon of course also connects Her with the sea and its tides.

A rare, 22k yellow gold ring from the 1500s is punctuated on top and back (as was customary for the time) with enamels of grey blue, black, maroon, green and white. It integrates a table cut (faceted with a flat top and just five simple slim polished edges) rock crystal, set closed back and foiled.

The crystal is set into a deep cinquefoil (five-sided) bezel with sides ornamented with indented cusps.

The evolution of this bezel comes from what is often referred to as a “pie dish” bezel which entirely encased a stone in unadorned metal with only the top of the gem being visible.

Also typical of the period, the shoulders are strongly emphasized with volutes and sculptural details as well as enameled. During a number of centuries, rock crystal was sometimes used in place of the very scarce diamond. While diamonds existed, they were exceedingly rare as most large diamond mines were not discovered until the 1800s.

For its age, the condition is quite remarkable with the ring being entirely intact and with a good deal of enamel remaining.

I bought this gold bracelet at an antique fair on a gamble, I saw the 56 mark and knew that it was a Russian and Eastern European mark for 14k gold. The bracelet is simple yet stylish, and I was thinking Art Deco, maybe Austro-Hungarian.

The piece turned out to be Pre-Revolutionary Russian Art Nouveau.

Initally the marks baffled me, because they were like the Russian post 1908 St Petersburg 2nd Kokoshnik mark, but the number 4 didn't appear on the marks in any references I could find, however these were all for silverware rather than gold jewellery.

Finally an on-line forum cleared it up, the "4" is a weight mark for gold chains and bracelets denoting the weight in zolotniks (1 zolotnik is 4.26 grams).

The keyhole shaped mark has a prescribed size of 3.25 x 1.5 mm and contains a weight number from 1 to 11 dependent on the weight in zolotniks. The second mark is the right facing kokoshnik (woman in headress) of 1908-1927. The third is the fineness mark 56 zolotnik (14k approx). The last mark is Greek letter alpha for the St Petersburg assay office.

The makers mark "Ab" is Abraham Sholom Beilin, whose workshop was at Sadovaya Uliza 22, St Petersburg. Ulla Tillander-Godenhielm (a well known authority on Faberge) advises that Fabergé and many other companies ("... also my great grandfather and grandfather Alexander Tillander ...") turned for assistance to Abraham Beilin when they did not have the capacity to fulfill orders.

This was around the time I got my hardstone cameo of Alexander III, posted in an earlier listing, and as they say good things come in threes, because I picked up one more piece soon after, that may have an interesting Russian connection, I'll post that one soon.

A few more pieces of Liberty & Co jewellery from the 1900 - 1910 period.

1) I've never seen this gold necklace with three amethysts documented before, it is stamped L&Co 9ct and is beautifully made, size is 2in (5cm) from the top amethyst to the bottom one. I attribute the design to Archibald Knox.

2) This silver and enamel brooch is a well known Knox design, it has the L C & C Ld quatrefoil stamp that was only used in 1903/4, and is also stamped SILVER, width is 1.25in (3cm)

3) This 18ct gold and opal pendant is an unmarked Archibald Knox design for Liberty & Co that I've never seen previously documented, although I have found a couple of others in this series, one of which is stamped WHH. The height is 1.25in (3cm) from the top of the bale.

4) This silver, citrine and enamel Jessie King designed pendant is unmarked but is a well known Liberty & Co piece. They came in several variations from simple pendants to complete necklaces. BelleEpoque has shown a couple of her lovely pieces in this same series in the past (search under: Jessie King). This is an unusual and quite effective variant with its orange enamel and citrines. The height is 1in (2.5cm) excluding the bale.

Must have been my lucky day, because no matter the broken night this night, my head was clear enough to find this lovely victorian horseshoe stickpin at a thrift shop earlier today.
Normally its a bad thrift shop where I hardly find anything, but today was an exception.
I always look at the jewely cabinets, but I didn t find anything but junk, so I went away to look at the rest of the shop. on my way out I took another look, and suddenly I spotted this stickpin. it was a bit hidden behind some other stuff, thats why nobody else snatched it away I suppose.
Its a victorian seedpearl and gold stickpin. I think it dates from around 1840- 1880.
it has a twisted patern around the upside of the pin.
The horseshoe tested as 18 carat gold and the pin tested as 9 carat gold, a bit odd.
But for 0,5€, it was a real steal, dont you think?
Normally I NEVER find gold, so,I m really happy with this one.
Hope you like it!

I absolutely love this Victorian 10k rose gold ring with its halo of pretty white seed pearls and pretty pink glass center. The ring has an odd TXB mark inside the band and I'm hoping someone will have some info.

Two pendants and a cameo bracelet by Carlo Giuliano, an Italian master jeweler.
- Fabulous polished, banded agate cabochon surrounded by Russian amethyst cabochons and white and green enamel, with the signature Giuliano black and white enameled dots. A young girl's portrait and blond hair are in a compartment in the back. 18K gold. Fitted leather box -- label is faint but you can see: Giuliano, 15 Frith Street, Soho Square London. No signature.
- Bull's eye agate cabochon pendant in polychrome enamel in 18K frame set with natural pearls in original box marked C. Giuliano 115 Piccadilly London. Based on this address, the pendant was made after 1873. Signed on the enamel bale.
- A superbly carved shell cameo of a bearded gentleman in profile with a twisted gold wire border, centered on a flexible tapering bracelet of gold cylindrical links, signed C. G. in an oval, circa 1870. See page 172 Sotheby's "Castellani & Giuliano - The Judith H. Siegel Collection" catalog for a similar bracelet.
-----------------------------------------
The Sotheby's catalog for the Castellani and Giuliano auction of the Judith H. Siegel Collection says in its notes:

Carlo Giuliano (c. 1831-1895) moved to London from his native Italy in about 1860. It is now understood that he accompanied Alessandro Castellani to London with the intention of managing a branch of the latter's firm at 15 Frith Street, Soho, but at some point, Giuliano's business relationship with Castellani fell apart. Giuliano remained in London operating under his own name, selling Archaeological jewelry through the famous retailers: Emanuel, Garrard, C.F. Hancock and Roskell and Phillips. His sons Carlo and Arthur joined him in the firm.

Giuliano realized his English customers weren't ready to fully embrace Archaeological jewelry, and he shifted his workmanship to embrace a wider variety of sources including the English and French Renaissance.
The Giulianos are most famous for their Renaissance inspired jewelry decorated with polychrome enamels and set with diamonds and colored gemstones, often carved en cabochon.

His business booming, Giuliano opened his own store in 1874 at 115 Piccadilly, London, where he worked until his death in 1895.

This wonderful Austro-Hungarian pendant is actually a Carnet de Bal, also called Ballspende or Dance Cards. These were a common ladies accessory in the ballroom dances of the 18-1900s. They contained paper or thin ivory sheets where the ladies could write the melodies and whom they danced with.
This particular one is in revivalist style, imitating a coin or medal that was produced in Kremnitz, Hungary during the 16-19th centuries. It reads S. Georgicus Equitum Patronus, or “Saint George Patron of the Knights”. It is made of silver and plique-a-jour enamel in green, red, blue and purple. It really looks like a church stained glass window against the light.
Marked with the Austrian dog’s head silver mark and G.A.S. for maker Georg Adam Scheid. Made in Vienna around 1900.

My Great-Uncle gave these to my Grandmother (probably in about 1914-15 )when he was a diamond driller and a world traveler He got this in China,I believe and it quite possibly was old when he bought it.!!! He often bought antiques for my grandmother.This was originally a long chain of graduated ivory rose beads, popular at turn-of-century, and before but somewhere in the late 1930s my grandmother wanted it made into a more modern traditional 2 strand necklace. It was heavy and not long after the clasp gave way--Not long after that she passed away and the necklace went to my mother, when she died it went to me..Now, I am getting up in years--This is illegal to sell ( elephant ivory has restrictions___) I have 2 daughters in their 50s--but they don't seem very interested.
QUESTION____What do others do with treasures like this.? Would museums be interested?

Hello,
Has anyone ever seen anything like this? I'm not even sure what it is. At first I thought it must be shell, but when I examine it and put my teeth on it it feels more like stone,...........it is stone.
I'd love to know more about it.
The man that I bought it from immediately put it up to his eyes,...it was funny, a little creepy,
after the initial eye ball comparison it's curious beauty became captivating.
The back, dark, side of it is amazing too.
The colors have more depth than the photos capture.
It's one of those things that just needs to be shared,
Tony.
p.s., I want to add that it's clearly not painted, the color emerges from within the stone, it's definitely not applied to the surface.
I added another photo that I found on Flickr~hopefully I'm not doing anything illegal by posting it here. It's remarkably like mine and hails from the environs of Lake Superior.
Thanks for all of the help, Kevin and blunderbuss!

Part 3 of my Deco Egyptian Revival bracelets. This one has been hard to photograph!

An Egyptian Revival bracelet, with date mark for 1937, of plique-a-jour enamel decoration, inset with marcasites. Plique-a-jour [which means letting in light] is a vitreous enameling technique where the enamel is applied in cells without backing, enabling the diffusion of light through the translucent enamel.

The bracelet is silver, with Egyptian motifs of a winged scarab, symbol of the sun god and lotus flowers, symbols of creation, and the enameling is in the colors found on ancient Egyptian monuments and tombs - turquoise blue, lapis blue and mantis green.

Egyptian in origin, the bracelet is stamped 935, Egyptian mark for Cairo and date mark M (1937). As the country mark (a cat) is missing, the bracelet may possibly be an export that was sent for assay before export.

It is 7 inches in length, the winged scarab measures 1.5 inches by 1 inch and each lotus flower panel measures 1 inch by 3/4 of an inch

The excitement which followed the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922 led to a passion for ancient Egyptian inspired jewelry. The tomb had remained hidden for over 3000 years and when opened, the walls of its antechamber were found to be decorated with brightly painted scenes and inscriptions. Jewelers interpreted these motifs onto pieces of jewelry, copying the scenes and using the same vibrant colors.

This Egyptian revival bracelet, hallmarked with a letter D for 1929-1930, is silver, with ancient motifs of a winged scarab, symbol of the sun god and pharaonic scenes, depicted in colorful guilloche enamels.

If anyone can tell me more about this locket please let me know!?! Just bought this and can't find much out about it but I like it a lot! S & BL (star) co with 35 engraved inside. Deer head with flower behind it on the front.

My latest addition to the micro mosaic collection. i just found this ring today together with a brutalist ring, a mid cenury modern ring, an afghan tribal ring and a bakelite bangle.
The difference in timespan couldn t be much bigger, could it?
Its a 1900 costume jewelry brass and micro mosaic ring. Probably from Italy.
The tesserae arent super tiny, but much smaller then the ones they use today. They are all there. The only thing is, some of the 'morter' ( I m not sure of the word, the thing they use to glue the tesserae on the ring) has a different color, probably due to the brass.
i hope you enjoy!

Very damaged enamel on this poor little critter!
The hammered silver and the blue enamel back make me suspect James Fenton to be the maker.
No marks, 4.3 by 4.5 centimeters.
Kyratised as seen on pic #1 and #2
As bought on pics 3 and 4
:-)

Victorian 18k (hallmarked 750 for 18k) yellow gold diamond round earrings. These earrings is associated with a special event. They have a very good memory of a colleague where I have more than 20 years very well and fine've worked with. She was, like me a collector of antique jewelry and i, after her death, along with some other beautiful jewelry from her daughter received as a nice memory.
The earrings have each two rose cut diamonds and 6 so called senailles (small diamond chip with a flat base and cut in an irregular shape, usually somewhat in the form of a simplified circular rose cut diamond. These chips were used in jewelry rather for their effect then for their intrinsic value.
Diameter top: 0.5 cm round large bottom part 1.5 cm.

My friend just showed this to me. Because I am a new jewelry designer she knew I would enjoy seeing the quality of the workmanship in this charm bracelet. She (nor I) have any idea where to check to find out more information concerning this detailed solid 14K gold bracelet/ charms, articulated bracelet with gemstones (rubies, pearls, emeralds, sapphires).
A friend of her mother had been married to Nicky Hilton and he had this bracelet designed for her in the 40's (approx). They ended up getting divorced and she had given to her friend, (my friends mother) to hold on to just in case she needed any money. She didn't since she found another wealthy husband, so had told her friend she could keep it since she enjoyed wearing it all the time. When my friends mother passed away, being the only daughter, the charm bracelet went to her, over much haggling by her brother who really wanted it.
Quite a few years ago, it had been appraised for quite a bit, but my friend has no idea where or when it was designed. If anyone could give her any type of help, she would greatly appreciate it.

I m not sure abouth this brooch. I bought it because it looks interesting and I love mourning jewelry.
At first glance the material looks like jet,but when you look at the back and how the brooch was made, I m not sure its jet. looks like an iron frame where the front is soldered on. So I m not sure about the material of the front. It has a c- clasp, but the needle isn t very elongated, and the hinge doesn t look very old.
Does anyone have an idea about this brooch? i would appreciate any input! Last pic is my boy 'Mr Mittens'...he s growing so fast..almost 5 months old now, and still momma s biggest treasure ;-) oops, he s on his side again, small bat he is!

Hi I wonder if anyone can help with this pendant that I have as not sure what the stones are called and am not sure of the age but this caught my. Attention and looks very much like some pendants that I have seen made by a famous art and crafts jeweller ,so looking for help please.

Although there is some damage in hair work of this mourning brooch I love it. With gold snake (Rubin on head) eating its own tail as a perpetual cyclic renewal of life and infinity, the concept of eternity and the eternal return, and represents the cycle of life, death and rebirth, leading to immortality. There is also a little golden heart representing love.

"The Germans preferred the cloisonné matte enamel technique where the cloisons wires are soldered on the copper or silver base which separates the colors. The resulting cells are filled with enamel and buffed flat. Originating in Egypt in 1800 BC, the technique was introduced to Germany in the 10th century AD by a Byzantine princess. Hydrofluoric acid applied to the surface produced the matte effect in the 20th century. Artists who designed for Theodor Fahrner in Pforzheim, Germany, excelled in Art Déco/Moderne silver or copper-based matte enamel decorated with hardstones.

During WW II, the jewelry-making towns, forced to convert to manufacturing munitions, were razed to the ground by Allied planes. Rising from the post-war ruins, several firms like Perli, Scholtz & Lammel, G Bunge, and Wilhelm Leyser continued the tradition from geometric Machine Age to biomorphic Fifties forms. A coat of counter-enamel applied to the reverse of the piece was often the same color for each artist, which aids in identification, since many pieces were unsigned.

Perli Werkstätte, founded by Martha May in Schwäbish-Gemund in 1922, switched from manufacturing faux pearl jewelry to cloisonné enamel in 1935.... Matte enamelled silver or copper jewelry for men and women were signed "Perli", sometimes "handarbeit" (hand-crafted.) The counter-enamel could be glossy black or speckled grey.

The Scholtz & Lammel firm was founded in Idar-Oberstein, a town primarily known for gem-cutting. Designer Sigrid Gottstein created geometric designs for pendants, rings with adjustable shanks, link bracelets, and cufflinks. Until recently, the "S" in a circle maker's mark was assumed to belong to Karl Schibenski. We now know that he was a goldsmith who worked in Idar, but never designed matte enamel. Scholtz & Lammel paper tags proclaimed (in German,) "fire enamel, veritable hand-crafted." Sometimes, but not always, the "S" in circle mark was found on the clear enamel base. Bracelets were either rigid bangles or hinged segments.

William Leyser enamels made in Idar-Oberstein, were stamped "WL" on the clasp. Leyser decorated his bracelets with stylized fish or rhomboid shapes which usually incorporated glossy royal blue counter enamel. A.G. Bunge's atelier was in Munich. Matte enamel street scenes and geometric link bracelets often bore notched clasps."

This piece of jewelry screams: What were you thinking?! I bought it because it is so different. It is very large and has a weight of 48 grams. It is marked 925 on the back and the pin has three marks: 925, a mark that looks like a lady’s head, and one mark I cannot make out.
I have spent a lot of time looking for a piece of jewelry like this on line but so far have not found anything like it.

This is an interesting piece that was found today. I have never seen one like it. The blue topaz or blue gemstone has the culet cut off. Hence that's what's called old cut or European cut stone. It's not stamped anywhere. This is Sterling and measures 1.25" long. It's very well made and has an Art & Crafts feels. Anyone with any thoughts? Thanks for looking

I bought this ring in a flea market many years ago. It's unique look caught my eye. It's Marked Flaircraft lmt. and handmade on one of the filigree wings. It has two bezel eyes with diamonds , a Cabochon sapphire on the head and a turquoise body. The research I've done has lead me to believe it was made in Dublin, Ireland. Not much more info than that I could come up with. It is a beautifully done piece. It weighs 8.8 grams of 18kt gold. The ring is a combo brooch and pendant as I tried to show. I would love to find out more about its era.

This is my first Lava jewelry. Of course I've seen a lot come along. But this cameo was so beautiful and fine cut that I could not leave it. The color is soft yellow/beige brown. A common color for lava.
The setting has no mark at all but tested for silver as the pin but I think that the safety lock was put on later.

Gustav Gaudernack (1865-1914) is one of the greats, considered as Norway's leading Art Nouveau goldsmith.

He was born in Bohemia and studied glassmaking and enamelling in Vienna, before moving to Kristiania (now Oslo) in 1891. From 1892 to 1910 he was the leading designer at David-Andersen where his work included plique á jour of extraordinary quality.

In 1910 he opened his own workshop producing Art Nouveau enamel jewellery. He died tragically just 4 years later after a failed appendectomy, however the business did continue for a while under the direction of his widow and sons.

His lobed enamel brooches turn up from time to time, distinctive by their gorgeous detail, usually depicting birds and scenes from nature.

The detail is incredible on this 2.5in diameter silver brooch. Under magnification you see the wolf's shadow, the spray and foam crashing around the rocks, and the guilloche that enhances the sunrise.

This brooch is somewhat different to Gaudernack's usual objects of beauty. It sought me out some years ago, because, after reading Hamlet's Mill, I'd become interested in Nordic Mythology, and knew just enough to recognise the scene.

Gaudernack was certainly familiar with the Nordic myths from his time at David-Andersen, where one of their staples was archaeological revival pieces.

I believe the scene on the brooch is the dawn of Ragnarok, the great battle of the gods at the end of the world. Fenrir the Wolf, son of Loki, is bound in chains where that mighty waterfall drains the Northern World-Sea into the confluence of rivers that continually refills it.

One day Loki's son will be freed, he will quench an eternity of thirst, and then cast his baleful eyes upon the abode of the gods above, preparing for the attack in which Odin will die, and the current world cycle will end (or if you’re an optimist, it will be renewed).

2 interesting rings, about 11/16" or 18mm - both adjustable by the way. Left marked Beau Sterling - Nice size and great Art Deco or Machine Age style. On right a popular style often copied by not as nice as this heavy original: AGE sterling 925 Norway. 2 wonderful rings. I have seen the balls (looks like a jester's hat) ring often on ebay but never the one on the left.

I couldn't resist my friends - I had to post a bird picture. NOT so sweet because the 2 parakeets were bullying my finches today. They don't even pay attention to the little guys Whitey Bulger and Atticus Finch and their cage. I found out why - Cumi & Theo's seed feeder was clogged and they were darn mad someone else was able to eat. Whitey and Atticus are chirping "can't we all just get along?"

This is a very nice 1940's or 50's sterling bracelet w/carved translucent carnelian and green sardonyx stone cabochons in sunflower design about .5" high and carved all the way down. Note ball in socket closure w/chain keeper. It is marked but I can't make out anything more than "sterling".

Calling all jewelry people! This one is kind of stumping me. The only mark I can make out is "K18" and there is another worn cartouche that is hard to make out. It is enameled and set with rubies. Was guessing Italian or Russian due to the cartouche shape and enamel but it doesn't look like anything I'm familiar with, and I'm probably wrong. Does this type of work look familiar to anyone?

Sash brooch by George Steere, marked GNS & Co. In gilt brass with a fanciful bug and glass stones.

For a number of photos of George Steere jewelry, go here:

http://www.morninggloryantiques.com/JewelChatGNS.html

Not much is known about George Nathaniel Steere (marks GS, GNS and GNS & Co.) who made jewelry in Rhode Island from about 1906-1911. His pieces have a mythical feel in their motifs, using unfoiled glass stones, and a variety of creatures: griffons, bugs and birds.

Beaux-Arts architecture expresses the academic neoclassical architectural style taught at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Frankly, it sounds kind of a mess...: depended on sculptural decoration along conservative modern lines, employing French and Italian Baroque and Rococo formulas combined with an impressionistic finish and realism.

Anyway, the Americans liked it and Beaux Arts jewelry was popular alongside of Art Nouveau, Arts & Crafts and Edwardian from about 1890-1920. In Christie Romero's book Warman's Jewelry, she states: "finely detailed griffons, cherubs and foliate motifs show up in circa 1890-1920 pieces by Kerr, Riker, Krementz and others, which up until now have been called Art Nouveau, even though the name didn't fit. "Beaux Arts" seems to fill a need for this label for this style and sufficient numbers of examples are on the market today to warrant giving it recognition and its own classification."

First: I need your advice on this brooch, what type and era is this brooch?
Is it a mourning brooch or something else? It is surpricingly light, it only weighs 15 grams and the size is 5 cm x 4,5 cm. It seems to be one carved piece mounted on a base. It has a brass nedle and c-clasp. It somewhat feels like plastic and at the same time not, much lighter, can´t figure it out. Thanks for advice. Any ideas and thoughts are weolcome. Thanks!

Sorry I have´nt cleaned it yet, want to know what material it might be first.

3 panels of my enamel work create the robe around the central Chinese Spade coin..Ch'in period, city of An-yang 400-350BCE cast bronze.
With tourmalines.
Her beads are 20kt gold and Afghani ( purported)ancient glass.
She is ap 2.5" h
She is about the 4th piece I've created over the decades using one of these coins as an integral part of my work.

As seen on pics #3 and #4, it had two dangling pendants, and lacking central pearls.
Beautiful gold mount and bright green vitreous enamel!

I'm not used to dismantle jewellery in good condition, but for this one, I thought the dangles would make perfect earrings. Plus the fact they were not "in mirror" (aka not opposite symetrical, but identical) was not very gracious, decided me to remove them and replace with an antique gold and diamond set cap holding a GILSON opal (synthetic)!

Replaced too the lacking 3 bottom pearls plus a tiny one on the left, which was also lacking.

It was sold as gold metal, and yepee! Got it in one day :-)

Size is 1.3/4" long by 1" wide for the brooch now.
1" long, 3/8 wide for the dangles.

Finally after a long holiday weekend my friend was back to work at Salvation. The jewelry had really piled up and we went through some of it. She had pulled all the rings for me to look at. For some reason she trusts my judgement...lol. The first ring is marked .925 sterling Berse (Studio Berse). It's turquoise with orange coral beads around the outside. One bead had cracked and the top part is missing. The other cashier was going to buy it but changed her mind and let me have it. The missing bead bothered her. Not me... I was very glad she changed her mind ! This make of jewelry is sold on HSC so nothing super but still a nice piece. The other little silver ring is marked with an (M) in brackets maybe Mexico?? .925 . It's quite small and barely fits half way down my little finger. The band looks like two small ones close together but it's solid. They were both very dark and dirty. A few passes of jeweler's cloth brought back their sterling luster. -Mike-

I recently inherited this jewelry box after my grandfather passed away. It was supposedly my great grandmother's who immigrated from Germany. Past that, I have no idea what I have. The box is 16.5 x 8.5 x 11. It contains 6 pull out drawers on the inside. Pretty heavy, it has a lot of inlaid wood. It also has a locking mechanism - no key when I received it.

This is one of the many examples of peasant jewelry that originate from the Netherlands called: Zeeuwse Strik which were hung on the sides of the hood/hat belonging to ladies peasant costumes. On the photo you can see such kind of jewelry wearing in double but also wearing single. Nowadays these jewels are still wearing by ladies in original peasant costume and can still be seen in some regions of the Netherlands. This is the last generation women wearing these costumes.
This 14K yellow gold mentioned: Zeeuwse strik has two hallmarks one sword for 14K the other most probably the maker finely decorated with filigree wirework . Filigree is a delicate kind of jewel work made with twisted threads usually gold or silver or stitching of the same curving motifs. The pearl is a natural one (what kind of pearl I don't know).
The jewelry measure including bail and pearl 5 cm long, 4.5 cm wide and weight 5,7 gr.

In 2011, Christie's auctioned off Elizabeth Taylor's clothing, jewelry, etc. She had LOTS of stuff and many fabulous jewels (my favorite was La Peregrina, a 203 grain pear-shaped pearl on a Cartier diamond necklace). A necklace of 13 ivory theater tokens, put together by Edith Head and gifted to Liz, was one of the few lots which had an auction estimate within range ($1500-$2000). I swear everyone I know had bids on that necklace! It sold finally for $214,500! Here is a photo of the Liz necklace"

https://austenonly.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/photo.png

Ivory tokens were used by the wealthy as tickets to access their boxes at the opera, theater and/or Covent Garden. The box-holder's name and seat number were often written on the token.

So, after the Liz auction disappointment, in consultation with a friend in London, I started to collect theater tokens so I could have my very own necklace. It took a couple of years, as these tokens are snatched up by collectors. My friend has an elderly client who has some great ones and he lets a couple go once in a while. Finally we had enough tokens, we found a jeweler to make a chain just like Liz's necklace, and voila! Here it is....

I'm hoping someone can tell me something about my antique panel bracelet.i don't know much about it.with a magnifying glass I can see in the first rectangle what look like a 5or E,v or maybe two arrows crossed,then a 0with a horizontal line down the middle,then a 2 ? The next rectangle is clearer E,then a five point star,then 915. It is very intricate filagree.I got it quite a while ago after my mother passed but have always wondered about it

One part of my sapphire collection. The largest one is my personal talisman, the Grace's Star (262.8ct). Next to her is the Hope Star (42cts.) The next row contains two other ~42cts sapphires. And the third and fourth row contains 12cts and smaller ones of this beautiful stone.

]]>Fine Jewelry / Sapphire Jewelryhttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/158565-sapphire-collectionhttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/158565-sapphire-collectionthis is my best natural indonesian stone, something special about this liontin is there is a natural picture of dragon in ithttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/158546-this-is-my-best-natural-indonesian-stone
Fri, 22 May 2015 20:18:32 -0700

one of my collection, natural gemstone from indonesia, with natural picture of dragon in it.
I found this liontin by accident, and really attractive, its amazed me because there is a head of dragon picture naturally, im not sure its dragon or look like tiger, or lion...but its really beautiful

Glasgow School of Art pendant, 15 carat gold, circa 1900, marked on the back GSA and 15ct. The stones are tourmalines of varying shades, and aquamarines. Unusual to get a signed piece.

The pendant is 2.5 inches long and 2 and 1/4 inches wide and the integral chain is 16 inches long.

The Glasgow School of Art was at the center of the Arts and Crafts movement in Scotland, promoting painting, jewelry making, metal work, stained glass etc.

The Scottish movement occurred in the late 1880's and 90's, more than 20 years after Morris had established his first shop in London. The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) was the center of the Arts and Crafts movement in Scotland. Four key figures, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Herbert MacNair, Margaret and Frances MacDonald were known as 'The Four' who together created the vision which became world famous as the Glasgow Style. A good summary is here:

http://www.artscrafts.org.uk/branches/glasgow.html

Dear to my heart, is that women had a significant place within the Glasgow School:

The Glasgow Girls were a group of female designers and artists including Margaret and Frances MacDonald who were members of The Four (see above), Jessie M. King, Annie French, Jessie Wylie Newbery, Ann Macbeth, Bessie MacNicol, Norah Neilson Gray,[4] Stansmore Dean, Eleanor Allen Moore, De Courcy Lewthwaite Dewar, Agnes Banks Harvey (silversmith) [5] (Antiques Roadshow Episode 34-35, St Andrews University), and Christian Jane Fergusson. May Wilson and Eliza Bell (among others) continued the tradition of ceramic artistry into the 1940s and 1950s by hand painting various items with floral patterns.

Women were able to flourish in the Glasgow school because there was a "period of enlightenment" that took place between 1885 and 1920, where women were actively pursuing art careers and the school had a significant period of "international visibility." In addition, many Glasgow School of Arts students and staff were very involved in women's suffrage. "Students took turns between classes stitching up banners" for the movement.

Long, torpedo-shaped earrings were fashionable in the 1830s. Many were constructed of hollow metal and elaborately decorated with fancy goldwork and gems. These earrings usually have replacement wires and often the earring tops are replacements.

Photos:
- Elegant torpedo-shaped silver earrings, circa 1830. The hollow earrings are textured and overlaid with ornate silver cannetille work and a turquoise flower. They are 3 and 1/4 inches long including wire, 3 inches long excluding wire and 1/2 an inch wide across the front. The earring tops are replacements. It is most unusual to find this style of earring in silver from this period
- Georgian torpedo earrings, circa 1820, of creamy chalcedony enclosed in cages of two color high-carat gold, in a foliate and floral design, with swagged detail. The earrings are 3 inches long in total.
- Pique 4-sided torpedo earrings, circa 1830, with two sides inlaid with gold and with gold star in the top bead.
- Long torpedo earrings with elaborate goldwork including cut work stars 14K, tops replaced

A lovely and beautifully made Victorian 18K gold enamel pendant of a winged angel in clouds with a black scalloped border and black enameled ribbons set with rose cut diamonds. The pendant came in its original fitted box.

I have been trying to figure out the enameling technique used on this piece. It could be guilloché enamel, due to the machined edges, but I "believe" guilloché covers the entire surface.

The only other possible type is basse-taille enamel. According to the Lang jewelry site:

Through the use of different gravers the design was cut out in levels of various relief (from very shallow low relief to deep high relief). This enabled the scene to gain more depth than the traditional champlevé enamels. As this chiaroscuro effect could only work with transparent enamels, the choice of metal needed to be gold or - most often employed - silver. By applying the same enamel on various depths, a strong illusion of 3-dimensionality in the image could be achieved. The deeper areas would obtain a darker tone through the thickness of the enamel while the shallower areas were not only lighter in tone by the layer of the enamel, the reflecting surface of the silver enhanced this effect.

This pendant has an amazing depth and translucence, especially with the clouds and the feathers in the wings.

The jewellery I really like is earrings.I always wear a pair.
These are holidays souvenirs .
Pic.1 : silver with marcasite and amethyst from Cyprus
Pic.2 : Morocco,look silver but don't have any marks
Pic.3 : Croatia,silver filigree and reared pearls ( I was told so)

I'm always very impressed,when I'm reading your posts on jewellery.
How do yoy know all these names,brands etc.!
I just know if I like it or not.I should have paid more attention to it.Then I could tell who made this brooch.
I bought it about 10 yrs ago,at a renowned jeweller's,when brooches became more in fashion.Unfortunetely, the pin has been damaged and I can't wear it.
Thanks for looking:)

The Wiener Werkstätte was founded in 1903 by Koloman Moser and Josef Hoffmann, both of whom had been key members of the Vienna secession. The primary goal of the company was to bring good design and craft into all areas of life within the fields of ceramics, fashion, silver, furniture, and the graphic arts. From the onset, the Wiener Werkstätte encouraged its patrons to look beyond the material value of objects and to embrace geometric symmetry over surface ornament. For a history of this very interesting movement, see:

http://www.theviennasecession.com/a-history/

The artisans made some very beautiful jewelry, in gold, sterling, with gems, and enameled, but what has always interested me are their micro-beaded necklaces. The Venetian glass beads, generally a size 14, and in many colors, are crocheted around a soft cord, or in other instances, around wooden forms. The colors are fantastic, with wonderful geometric designs. I am always on the look-out for these necklaces!

Same construction than the red enamel cyclamen brooch in a precedent post!
Measures 1-7/8" at the widest point and 1-1/4" tall. It is marked on the back with the dragonfly hallmark of Meyle & Mayer along with STERLING and DEPOSE.
Not arrived yet, I'll post new pics after kyratisation of the red enamel ;-)

Never seen a piece like this before. It seems old by the look of the clasp. My first idea is that its some kind of sweetheart piece. The detail is wonderful. It is not marked. It is approximately 2 1/8" long and 2 1/8" wide. Not sure of the metal. It looks to be a two tone color scheme. Maybe even copper added.

This ring needs a bit of cleaning but I think it will look just great with a light polishing. It is signed A Cadman. I think the A might stand for Andy Cadman. The ring is not big at all and the craftsmanship is very nice.

This Necklace is a relatively new item but because I like the green colour and the unusual silver chain, I wanted to share it with you.

I believe the necklace could have been made in Thailand but designed in Texas, however it is only marked for sterling and the Barse name. The designer seems to be still active and selling on line, working also with other material than sterling.

Hi I thought I would post this interesting jewellery box that I found with a necklace inside and hoping someone has more knowledge about this old leather box as it may help with how old the necklace is.

These Art Deco earrings are big at 2in high x 1in wide. My wife tells me they sit very comfortably because the old style spring clips hold them securely while they hang from the pierced ear posts.

They are onyx and sterling silver, stamped 925. The previous owner said they dated to the 1930's and the gems tested as peridot, amethyst, citrine, blue topaz, and garnet, although I haven't had them checked yet.

They remind me of Gerard Sandoz, Jean Després, Raymond Templier etc pieces and I feel like I've seen the design before, but maybe that is just because they are so typically Deco. To me they have a Machine Age / USA feel to them.

Hi Bluboi, this is my Shakudo Brooch.
For people who want to know more about Shakudo, go to Bluboi forum there he will tell you some history.
All I know about this brooch is that it was made around 1900 -1910 in what was the Meiji period in Japan. I love the 3 D effect of Shakudo, the craftsmen must have taken great pride in their work.
Many thanks for looking.

Nice Silver Hair Work Mourning pendant with the Antique Dutch Sword hallmark for 1814 - 1906. You can see it on photo 3. The other mark (photo 4) probably the maker I cannot decode. Who can help to find the maker?
I've read in the data of the past about mourning jewelry, these were often created by family or friends of the deceased. The reason was that professionals used not the hair from the deceased given by the family but in practice they used frequently the wrong color of hair, so someone else's hair was used. Therefore often relatives were advised to make there own creation for their mourning jewel. So a lot of women made them at home with a book as guide. Therefore there exists books about this subject or they attended special classes to learn to do this kind of handicraft home. .
This kind of jewelry could be set in pendants, earrings, brooches etc. . The brooch I showed you earlier on CW.

I've seen jewelry box like this many times, but they are usually veneer or partical board. This is full on wood, very sturdy. I want to sand it and clean it up, but wonder if I should. I have no idea if it's old or not.

This is out of my treasure trove of Chinese pieces. Love the carved faces. The usual carvings are flowers. This has a nice feel to the necklace and its marked Silver on the filigree clasp. Thanks for looking

- 5 frogs with the central two appearing to be wrestling while the others watch. Two are gold, one is silver, one is copper and the final one is blackened with gold eyes.

- Warrior encountering a genii or troll hiding in a crevice.

- Two noblemen with fighting cocks.

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Shakudo is an alloy composed of Copper (Cu) (93~98%) and Gold (Au) (2~7%) (Shakudo can have other metals in it, though their content is usually <1%). Its melting point is 1900°F. Shakudo is a durable metal most noted for purplish-black patina (coloration, tarnish). The color comes from the metallurgical properties, not from any use of a coloring solution (as is common in European colored metals). This property is used aesthetically for creating a contrast with inlays (most notably pure gold), primarily to decorate katanas, the swords of the Samurai. When the Japanese government outlawed the Samurai in 1876, the craftsmen who had been working these metals for many generations had to look for other outlets for their craft and jewelry as well as other accessories were made.

Hi this is a item that I found but have yet to clean, I thought I would show it in this condition as I have a tendency to clean items, which sometimes can lead to people being confused and thinking it's new or fake old.

Another impulse buy, I would really like to know if these beads are Jade or Jadeite beads.
The sellers notes, vintage Jade, Jaderite Apple green and pink flapper length round bead necklace 72.7 grams. It's 30 inches long largest bead is 1/2 inches in diameter, smallest 5/16 in diameter. Each bead is individually strung. I'll be over the moon if these beads are Jadeite.
Many thanks for looking.

I love this little box, especially the detail of the flowers inside on the bottom. I would like to know what it's made out of. It's not porous so that should eliminate bone. I tried the "hot pin" test. The pin did not sink into the material, just left a little brown mark. Could this be some type of ivory? There is no maker's mark that I can see. Only a small mark in the bottom, inside, to the bottom left of the flowers there. It could be a 7 lying horizontally, but it looks more like a question mark without the dot, lying horizontally. Hoping someone out there has one just like it and can help me out! Thanks.

A two color, finely woven hair bracelet, set in 14K gold and with a gold coin attached marked Chatsworth Aug 10, 1887. I suspect this is a mourning or memorial bracelet based on the Great 1887 Chatsworth train wreck.
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On the evening of Aug. 10, 1887, a Toledo, Peoria & Western train pulled out of Peoria, heading east through Eureka and Chenoa on the way to Niagara Falls. The train included two steam engines, six fully loaded passenger cars, six sleeper cars and three cars for luggage (and perhaps more cars) (the cars were mostly constructed of wood). Aboard the train were as many as 700 people who had been attracted by a special offer to visit the Falls.

1887 was a drought year in central Illinois. Worried that sparks from their steam engines could start an uncontrollable brush fire, on the day of the wreck the TP&W Railroad conducted a controlled burn near the bridge. Apparently the fire was not completely extinguished, and the flames severely charred the wooden trestle under the bridge, leaving it unable to support the train’s weight.

At a point about three miles east of Chatsworth, the train began to accelerate down a slope and reached a speed of about 40 mph. At this point the train began to cross a wooden trestle bridge over a creek. The first engine made it over the bridge, which then collapsed behind it, causing the second engine to slam into the hill side. Most of the cars behind the engine telescoped into the second engine and each other.

This are a pair of long statement 925 silver and gold earrings.
By their weight, (quite light) I think this are electroformed silver.
I just cant recognize the designer/artist that made them.
Looks Like "AH Art" or "AN Art"
Can someone help me recognize this stamp? I need the name of the artist.

Moshe Oved [1885 - 1958] was the charismatic owner of the celebrated Bloomsbury antique shop, Cameo Corner, which he founded in 1938. The shop attracted an international clientele of collectors, artists and royalty. Oved was an authority on cameos as well as a poet, writer and sculptor.

Whilst sheltering in the basement of Cameo Corner during the Blitz, in order to steady his trembling hands, he modeled the first of his animal ring designs out of wax. The lamb, symbol of ultimate sacrifice, was made from Oved's own cuff-links after he learnt that a client's son had been killed in action.

The base of the ring is engraved with the Hebrew inscription: Where is the house of my father? The inscription is probably taken from My Father's House and refers in the Gospels to the Temple of Jerusalem [ John 2:16, Luke 2:49].

The ring is 1 and 1/8 inches wide from head to tail and 1 and 1/8 inches tall. It is beautifully tactile and wonderful to wear

Gold and silver hair ornament/necklace in original fitted case, circa 1875, from the firm of Charles Fontana and Cie, Rue Royale, Paris.

The firm was founded by a Swiss jeweler, Thomas Fontana, in the Galerie Beaujolais in Paris in 1840. The business flourished and was renamed Charles Fontana et Cie in 1871. The company developed a reputation for the quality of their craftsmenship and their innovative designs. Today the Fontana archives belong to Chaumet.

This delightful piece is typical of Fontana's quality and sensitivity of design. A demure cherub wearing a gold and rose-cut diamond crown and collar, is adorned with silver wings encrusted with rose-cut diamonds. The finial of the piece is inset with a ruby. It can be worn as a hair ornament when attached to its gold and tortoiseshell comb or as a necklace when attached to its gold chain.

The cherub is 1.5 inches long and 3/4 of an inch wide. The haircomb measures 3 and 3/4 inches by 3/4 of an inch and the chain is 16 inches long. The fitted case is embossed with a coronet and the initals M R M. Beautifully executed and immaculate.

]]>Fine Jewelry / Victorian and Edwardian Jewelryhttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/157926-ivory--gold-silver-cherub-necklacehttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/157926-ivory--gold-silver-cherub-necklaceFamily love token brooch probably made at the turn of the century 1800/1900http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/157921-family-love-token-brooch-probably-made-a
Sat, 16 May 2015 07:11:54 -0700

As you can read on CW, search "love tokens" and read the articel, love tokens are coins that have been smoothed and engraved on one side or both, to express a feeling or to memorialize something or someone. You can see tokens with overlapping initials and later (turn-of-the-century) love tokens that has more linear monogram-style initials.

I recently bought this silver brooch that is made of 9 love tokens joined together. I´m new to love tokens but after searching for information I think brooches are quite rare. The coins are silver coins and from the back side of them I can tell they were made between 1872-1905 as they have the motto of Swedish king Oscar II which in latin is "salus populorum fraternorum" (on the coins written in swedish) that was used during the time when he was also king of Norway and there was a union between Norway and Sweden. After the union was dissolved he had to shange the motto. After searching for information about the coins I can narrow the time down to about 1881 for the larger centercoin and for the smaller coins to before 1895.

I think the two tokens with the initials were made first and are probably the initials of a mother and father and the other ones with names are the childrens names. I´m thinking maybe this was given to a dear mother as a gift at the time the children where leaving the home? Probably this brooch was made somewhere between 1894-1920´s, concidering the dating of the coins, the c-clasp and the tubehinge and the popularity of these love tokens during that time. The full first names on the smaller coins might indicate it was made at the turn of the century.

I put this under "World Coins"/"love tokens" but it shows as US Coins. Sorry about that, don´t know why.

There are two tokens I can´t identify as names, maybe a CW friend has some ideas about what they mean?

A favorite necklace of mine -- a platinum pendant, circa 1915, with a carved moonstone face of the sun backed with red foil, set in guilloché enamel with enameled clouds, and with a diamond and platinum surround. Platinum chain with pearls.

Since we are showing early religious items, I thought I would post this Agnus Dei pomander pendant.

Rare pomander pendant, Italian, second half of the 17th century. The obverse is painted in vibrant colors, with verre églomisé goldwork; the reverse is set with a rock crystal intaglio. You can read an article on verre églomisé here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verre_%C3%A9glomis%C3%A9

The front depicts the Agnus Dei [Lamb of God] resting on the Book of Revelations.

"The Agnus Dei is a traditional symbol of Christ and was frequently represented in peninsular jewels since at least the 16th century.
Most of the representations show the lamb in a couchant, or seated, position, a posture that evokes a sense of its innocence, meekness and consequent acceptance of sacrifice. A nimbus atop its head marks its divinity and a foreleg usually supports a cross...." (Renaissance Jewelry in the Alsdorff Collection pg. 41.)

Beneath, in the Sacred Heart, are the letters IHS, for Jesus.

The reverse is set with an intaglio rock crystal backed with pink foil. It depicts Christ on the cross, with attendant saints.

The pomander opens for the insertion of a scent-impregnated sponge. Small openings around the edge of the pendant would allow the perfume to escape.

Does anyone have any clue about this unmarked piece? It looks like the clasp has been replaced, because it doesn't match the time period and the base of the clasp on either side is not semetric. I have stared at this "cat" (it is what it looks like to me) brooch endlessly and don't want to sell it yet, I want to know more about it. I am pretty sure that the stones are a mix of moonstone, colored glass, rhinestone and possibly a rock opal? I can't remember if the darker opal name is correct. It has beautiful cartouche design around all of the beautiful colors that seem to look like a cat as a whole. I didn't see that at first, but after staring at it endlessly I noticed the ears (the two blue stones/glass at the top).

Hi I thought I would show this pendant that I have cleaned and had confirmed as sapphires by a jeweller,I forgot to ask if the center was diamond or not and he didn't check or say he only checked the blue stones and commented on how dark they was,not sure if that's good or bad.

Well I just bought this recently and it's such a beauty. Very rare to find such a quality lovely graded necklace in such an untouched original condition. Each bead has fabulous striations and patterns and the colour and polish is outstanding. Each bead is 100% opaque butterscotch which is the most sought after type. It also weighs an incredible 90g!

This is a piece that I got from my sister years ago (because she owed me money, lol) She said it was antique, but I am unsure. The green is I think is stone and not glass, Emerald? Also it is sterling and has an H in between 2 sideways triangles. Can anyone id the maker or stone? I have googled & tried every sterling maker's mark site I could find until my fingers feel like they are going to fall off for the makers mark to no avail.

This was a really nice find from Salvation this morning. A signed silver and gold Sergio Bustamonte bracelet. The two faces are mounted on a thin silver wrap around band. One holds a gold mask in front of her face at arms length. The Sergio Bustamonte signature is on this arm as well. The metal purity marks are on the band. It's been double struck so it's a bit blurry. The silver is .925 with "Mex" and what looks like GA39 after that. The arm and one face have a 22 kt vermeil finish. The thin band is a bit bent but a jeweler could probably reshape it. All and all a great find. -Mike-

Sergio Bustamante/ Biography
Courtesy of santafeshop.com
Though born in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico, Sergio Bustamante has lived in the Guadalajara area since early childhood. In his youth, he studied architecture at the University of Guadalajara, but abandoned this pursuit when his talents and interests drew him to the fine arts and crafts. He began with paintings and paper mâché figures, inaugurating the first exhibit of his works at the Galeria Misracha in Mexico City in 1966. In the early 1970's, he traveled to Amsterdam, where he further developed his talents. After his return to Guadalajara, he established in 1975, along with other artists, the "Family Workshop Studio" in Tlaquepaque, Jalisco, Mexico.
While Bustamante's works initially focused on painting and paper mâché, his talents inevitably led, in the mid-1970's, to the creation of sculptures in wood and bronze, many reflecting animal themes. 1979 marked the inauguration of innovative furniture designs in wood and glass with bronze accents, currently available in distinctive patterns and motifs.
The creation of ceramic sculptures in the mid-1980's provided avenues for the use of color and form in ways not previously explored. In 1992, the initiation of an extensive line of exquisite jewelry in bronze, gold and silver, many set with precious and semi-precious stones and, again, often reflecting animal themes, marked a new and expansive direction for his creations. In this same year, a new series of paper mache sculptures was introduced. In the new millennium, Bustamante continues to explore uncharted paths for the further expression of his uniquely imaginative and gifted talents.

I was hoping someone could identify the hallmarks on this ring for me. They appear to be a lion, a cat's head? and a cursive letter "D". Also wondering the age of the ring. It is a beautiful ring. Thank you in advance for any information anyone has.

These are two Bernard Instone enamel brooches. The blue flowered brooch as been on this forum before, it now has a pink flowered friend. I really love these beautiful brooches and they compliment each other. The blue flowered brooch is marked BI, the pink flowered brooch does not have a mark, but you can see that it is the work of Bernard Instone. I think these brooches were made during the 1920s- 30s.
Many thanks for looking.

Both thrift store finds;
Earrings I have had for a while-price-well I don't recall exactly but you can bet it wasn't over $5.00 :)
Necklace I found yesterday-$5.00 - which was so tarnished :( but after a little cleaning it looks great.

They aren't a perfect match but I will wear together.
Love silver in the summer when you have a tan :)

Both Marked 925
Necklace has something behind the 925 but can't make it out.

When I'm thrift shopping I always have to check the jewelry out.......you never know what you might find!

This Gold Pendant/Brooch was made by the Scottish jewellery designer Pat Cheney and John Ditchfield.
Pat Cheney works in Gold or Silver. In this particular collection she worked with John Ditchfield of Glasform, a renowned glassmaker. No two pieces are the same, because of the nature of the manufacture of the glass, thus making each piece unique. This glass making technique can not be controlled enough to be repeated exactly.
Chene d glas collection was made between 1976-90. There are Hallmarks to the side of the brooch with 375 PPC and the Hallmark for Edinburgh.
Many thanks for looking

Jorma Laine (1930-2002) was a Finnish Jewellery designer, who's work in Bronze and Silver, ( less often in Gold) is easily recognisable. He developed a style of is own, very modernistic and often abstract, throughout the 60s and 70s.
He was born on the 10th of July 1930, as the only son of his working class parents. At a young age he was gifted, and spent most of his time drawing. After primary School he attended the renowned Art College Turun Piirustuskoulu ( Turku Art School).
During his illustrious career he had his own company Silver-Laine, but he is perhaps best known for the designs he did for Turun Hopea. He also designed Silver Jewellery for Kultateollisuus.
Later he retired to his cabin in the Forrest where he led a hermit like life until his death from a heart attack on the 27th December 2002, 72 years old.
Many thanks for looking.
The stone in the Pendant is a Unakite, which is an altered granite composed of Pink orthoclase feldspar, green epidote, and colourless Quartz. Good quality Unakite is a Semi precious stone and is often used in Jewellery.

This is an item I've been stalking for a while. I'd be very interested in opinions on what it is.

I suspect it is a Spanish/Iberian devotional jewel from the early 1700's. Size is about 70 x 50mm. The 8 stones in the cone shaped mounts around the outside are either amethysts, or garnets or rubies. I presume it's missing it's bow at the top.

I think the figure under the crystal is Christ the shepherd, similar to the figure shown in the last image from the Fitzwilliam Museum.

One of our criterion for buying jewelry is that it must be wearable and attractive, and this doesn't quite fit the bill.

Also it seems to be incomplete. As well as missing the bow/brooch fitting at the top, I think there may be something missing from those little hollow disks on either side of the cone shaped gem mounts, maybe diamond or emerald chips and their mounts were removed, or enamel fill has been chipped away?

However I do like it for it's age and probable rarity. What do you think?

P.S. I won't mind if someone else buys it, that will put me out of my misery, FYI is it well under a grand.

As a comparison to the early 17th century cross I just posted, this cross shows the complete transition from a religious object to a material one.

A large Iberian (likely Portuguese) cross, circa 1780-1800, with flat-cut emeralds and rose-cut diamonds. The cross is set in gold and the diamond surround is set in silver. The bow top is removable. It came in its original embossed leather case. Total length: 4 3/4"

A Portuguese or Spanish crucifix from the early 17th century, made of gold triangular sections. The front of the cross champleve enameled green, with an applied gold figure of Christ, enameled skull and crossbones below. At the top of the cross is a blue and white enameled Dove of Peace. Above the head of Christ is the word INRI (meaning Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" (often abbreviated in the Latinate "INRI", and in the Greek as "INBI")).

The back of the crucifix is enameled with the Instruments of the Passion (not all identified, but: spear, hammer, scourge).

In 1970 Aldo Cipullo, designer of the Love bracelet, partnered with Charles Revson and Cartier, founder of Revlon cosmetics, to release an electroplated Love bracelet. The item is a cheaper version of the famous Cartier Love design. The Revson bracelet looks almost identical to the original, but with a screw on only one side and a hinge on the other. Since the bracelet is electroplated, it is coated with a precious metal, like gold, but it is less valuable than an original 18k Cartier Love bracelet. The gold the bracelet is plated with is 18k, though it is not solid, so the item may be advertised as “18k Aldo Cipullo Love bracelet” even though this can be misleading. Does anyone know what the 18K electroplate is bonded to? What's the metal content?

I bought this many years ago for a few dollars. It was grimy so I was surprised it cleaned up w/simichrome into a beautiful silver brooch.

The main drop is about 2.5"x1" w/Arts & Crafts and/or Scottish motif. And no surprise since both those influenced gorgeous jewelry at the same time - 1900-1930. The rectangle links are about .75"x.25" w/ornate soldered links.

I would love this to be an original Arts & Crafts era item but the clasp (pic 4) looks 1950's and altho it's silver it doesn't have that deep "warm yellowy silver" that really great old silver has. It is heavy so I know it's a nice piece.

Any info is appreciated! I imagine it as a sweater clasp or maybe a tartan plaid wool shawl. Have worn it on this 1940's jacket and also on my big tapestry shopping bag.

I bought this pendant a while ago together with the micro,mosaic brooch. My boyfriend doesn t like it, he says I have heaps of pendants in this style, but I disagree. One can never have enough modernist pendants! :-)
Its silver with a green chrysophase stone. The mark on the back reads: HVDD or something like that. Can anyone tell me something more about its maker or la,d of origin?
Thanks a lot!

This pin was given to my friend's mother over 50 years ago while they were residing in Brussels. The story, as he recalls it, was that the pin was already 100 yrs old then. I've found lots of sites with Peruzzi items, but nothing that resembles this. It reminds me of a family crest. Any info would be appreciated.

This pendant is not particularly to my liking, but I am very curious about the mark on the back. I can't make out any of it. If anyone recognizes it, I'd love to know what it says or stands for. Thank you.

I dug this bracelet out tonight because Anne Landers posted a lovely brooch recently w/a similar blue star glass cabochon.

A very lovely example of Arts and Crafts period meets Art Deco. I believe this is Czech origin. Beautiful .5" x 8" bracelet. Glass cabs are .5 square in a beveled setting. This was probably a necklace originally as this is not symmetrical. Back side of bracelet has no marks but I think they would have been on the clasp ends. Amazing work and a nice heavy bracelet. When I bought it 10 yrs ago it was tarnished so much I thought it was brass and probably paid only a few dollars.

My mother had an estate sale 20 years ago and this pendant was found in the house. The owner of the pendant is named Melba Sizemore from St. Louis MO and she was from the 1800’s. The back of the pendant shows Tiffany Studios with the initials showing MW.

After admiring the beautiful Arts & Crafts silver jewelry recently posted by CW members, I'd like to share my bracelet that looks similar in style even though there are obvious differences in construction on back. It bears a registration mark of ARISTODEMO RISALITI of Firenze and dates 1935-1944 (the firm started in 1935 and the "fascio" mark in middle of the registration lozenge was abolished some time in 1944). When I first saw it, I thought of Peruzzi, which may be understandable, since both makers originate in Firenze / Florence, and their registration numbers are only 5 digits apart.

This is a cute little sterling silver brooch that was given to my mom in law (born 1926) by her aunt (her mom's sister) along with a hand written note saying it was "good" jewelry, but did not give a date. I got the impression it has been in my mom in law's family for at least 150 years. I actually found it after she passed away in a box marked "Joy"(me). It is sterling and with a cameo type figure on it and seems to have a crude type of maker's mark which is impossible to get in the picture. It is an R or P. It has tiny pearls set in silver around the cameo, as well as each end of the bar. I do know it came from Scotland!

Can someone tell me whether it is Georgian or Victorian. I would really like....if anyone knows of one....a website that has good references to this type of jewelry. I am trying to research some other cameo jewelry also :)

I picked up this little brooch today at a thrift shop. Nothing special but still its a bit interesting. I believe its an etruskan style brooch, probably made in the thirties or forties, and its 800 silver. I have no idea where it was made, probably somwhere in the middle east. Its not the best quality, but I like its style. I hope you like it too.

I have had this piece for thirty years and purchased it from an elderly dealer in York. No marks, wonderful quality. I would love to know more about it. The turquoise is undamaged,, the silver wire is securely attached and wonderful to hold!
Thanks any and everyone who can help.

Arts and Crafts or Chinese? Turquoise and silver, sadly the clasp tongue is broken and a part of the turquoise on one oval is chipped, but I am going to restore it. Any ideas with regard to the origin?

This Victorian pendant, circa 1860, is an example of the intricate hand craftsmanship produced during this era. There is a central section of pave-set diamonds and pearls in an 18K yellow gold and sterling silver mounting. On the borders are birds and flowers set with diamonds and rubies. The pendant is convertible to a brooch and there is a removable picture frame on the back.

The pendant is set with a total of 135 well-matched pearls, 246 rose cut diamonds and 6 natural rubies and is 3 1/8" by 1 1/2".

This is one of my favorite necklaces -- the workmanship is superb, but it is a mystery. No marks, but it sure looks French. Might this be Arts & Crafts?

18K green and yellow gold pendant set with natural pearls, with 3 large stones from top to bottom: a .72 ct fancy light greenish yellow old mine brilliant diamond, a yellow-green emerald cut Hiddenite, and a 1.55 ct fancy yellowish-brown cushion modified brilliant diamond. Original chain.

Hiddenite is named after A.E. Hidden who discovered this stone in 1879 in North Carolina. The coloring agent is chromium, with the stone colors being yellow-green, green-yellow or emerald-green. Usually used with the step cut (emerald). Deposits are found in Burma, Brazil, Madagascar, North Carolina and California.

I fell in love with this wonderful sash pin and after seeing another Piel Frères piece posted, it reminded me of her, so I thought I would share.

Art Nouveau sash buckle with wonderful tendrils and a carved celluloid (I believe) face of this adorable woman. She reminds me of a wood sprite peering out from a shrub!

Makers mark for Piel Frères: P [sword] F

To quote Vivienne Becker in Art Nouveau Jewellery, pg 226:

"Piel Frères, Paris jewelry firm (at 31 Rue Mesley) which caused a sensation at the Paris International Exhibition in 1900 with its fashionable but inexpensive 'art' jewels. The head of the firm was Alexandre Piel, who worked with the sculptor Gabriel Stalin as artistic director. In their jewels, sculpted ivory was replaced by the new plastic material, celluloid, while copper and silver replaced gold. Critics approved of these substitutes, since the aim was to present art at an affordable price. Piel Frères' jewels were often gilt or enamelled, which they accomplished successfully on the difficult media of copper and silver. The designs were excellent, and they are known particularly for their range of buckles, and for an impressive gilt and enamelled peacock feather buckle, illustrated in La Revue de la bijouterie in 1901.

This is one of my latest purchases. It looked really sad when I first got it and it is still in desperate need of a bit more cleaning. The brooch is marked only with “925” but I think it is a vintage item. I have a few filigree pieces but generally they are not my favorite kind of jewelry. I liked this one because, although it is rather detailed, it still shows some simple lines.

This Arts & Crafts Silver and Chalcedony Cross is big! It's 10cm (4in) high and 6cm (2.4in) wide. The hand made chain is 72cm (28in) long.

I'm guessing it's by Bernard Instone, the hexagonal flowers made with seven silver dots are quite a distinctive detail of his. I'll be interested in any thoughts, especially from Jean who must be the resident authority on BI.

Flowering crosses have a special place in Arts & Crafts jewellery. The Tree of Life is often seen in A&C pieces.

The tree of life (in the Garden of Eden) was often believed to prefigure The Cross, and there are legends that the wood of Christ’s cross actually came from the tree of life, or from a tree that grew from seeds of the tree of life.

There is another legend that says that upon Christ’s death The Cross burst into blooming flowers.

Among the earliest items of A&C jewellery, are the floral crosses designed by Edward Burne-Jones for John Ruskin, to donate to Whitelands College in Chelsea for their "May Queen". The story of these can be seen here: http://www.victorianweb.org/victorian/art/design/jewelry/gere/6.html

This is a beautiful seed pearl necklace with what I believe is a jade holder,has some type of writing,might be Chinese or Japanese,6 strands beautiful necklace,I hope someone can give me some information,what is the writing

I bought this at auction years ago as my wife liked it , it was bought along with the peridot one I listed earlier..
I can't remember how this was listed , I think it's silver & didn't cost as much as the peridot one but i remember I had to bid a lot to get them both ..
Sorry I don't know more about this necklace , maybe someone on here knows about them :-)
Thanks for looking :-)

I bought this for my lovely wife !!
It was listed as a Russian peridot & gold necklace ..
It's a 9ct gold chain and mount , she loved it !!
Sorry I dont know any more about it apart from its not the original box apparently ..
Thanks for looking. :-)

I was tidying my Jewellery cupboard and came across these earrings that I'd forgotten about. If I can remember they are antique, but I know nothing else about them. Looking at them, each one is slightly different to the other. There is a little wear to the gold, which Makes me believe that they have been well loved.
The cobalt blue glass is covered with raised and enamelled decorations with swirls of gold and coloured leaves and flowers.
I would like to know if anyone can enlighten me as to there age and place of manufacture.
Many thanks for looking

My grandfather passed last year and my Dad gave me his ring. Trying to figure out anything about it. I know he had it when I was a little kid which was at least 30 years ago. The only marking I could find is 925 and a sideways 8.

Something completely different now. I bought this pendant a few weeks ago. It tested as silver. It looks like an enamel and silver Berber pendant from Morrocco. Not sure of its age though, but I just love its colors! In the two last pictures you can see my silver And enamel Berber ring that I got from a trip there long ago. It really matches the pendant, doesn t it?

A friend of mine found this piece in what remained of an old two story farm house that was on some property he purchased. I'm not sure how old the house was but he said the top floor had collapsed leaving basically a shell filled with a lot of debris. He found this piece in what he thought to be an old chest of drawers along with vintage gold and shell carved cameo brooch.

The piece is approx. 2 and 5/16" long (not including the top bale), and 1 and 9/16" wide. It weights approx 20.12 grams. I can't find any marks on the piece, so I would like any assistance in identifying a maker, style or an age if possible.

I bought this nice micro mosaic dagger brooch a while ago. I think it dates from around 1900, as the tesserae are very tiny. I included some of my micro mosaic jewelry from around the same period on the last picture. The dagger is marked with something which looks like: FAF on its back. Any idea about iwhat that means? I m sure its made in Italy as most micro mosaic was made there.

The Arts and Crafts/Art Nouveau crossover belt buckle dates from around 1905 and came from the in house designers working for French firm Piel Freres. The Art Nouveau style caused a dramatic shift in jewellery design, reaching a peak around 1900 when it triumphed at the Paris International Exhibition.
The firm of Piel Frères won the grand prix at the International Exhibition in Paris 1900 as did Lalique, Boucheron & Vever. Its followers created sinuous, organic pieces whose undercurrents of eroticism and death were a world away from the floral motifs of earlier generations. Art Nouveau jewellers like René Lalique also distanced themselves from conventional precious stones and put greater emphasis on the subtle effects of materials such as glass, horn and enamel. Silver, silvered bronze and pewter were also favourite mediums for jewellery designs.

The buckle is made in silver plate/silvered bronze and coloured glass and uses the scarab beetle motif in its design. The scarab is a symbol of rebirth & good fortune and was very popular with the Egyptian Revival craze in the middle of the Edwardian period.

This is a very rare Scottish green enamel and pearl-set tiara made by A and J Smith of Aberdeen. It is of Art Nouveau form with a curved scroll design and is made from finely wrought gold. The shaped centre front is inset with green enamel and surmounted by three graduated blister pearls. The tiara is displayed within its original tooled leather case which is stamped ‘A & J Smith Aberdeen’.

The tiara comb straddles two eras: the outgoing Edwardian period - in its purpose to be worn for a formal evening reception and the new modernism - in the delicacy and simplicity of design and the use of enamel, rather than precious stones. The tiara has a hinged comb designed to slide into the wearer’s hair to enable the ‘crown’ to sit almost upright.

I don't have much information about this item apart from that it is a Victorian, Onyx, mourning pendant, on the back is a gold cross with seeded pearls, any input will be greatly appreciated. there are no other marks on the pendant or case, I would love to know who or what company made it.

Since I started studying at Silesian meshwork , Berlin Iron and early Cut steel jewelry and moreover I saw a pair of earrings with a cut steel edge which were the same as the brooch I showed you about 4 years ago on CW i came to the conclusion that this brooch is even older than i thought. I'll suppose dated around 1780. I couldn't resist to buy these earring to form a beautiful demi-parure. It’s a really lovely original demi-parure this brooch and earrings in the finest tiniest cut steel, with mother of pearl back. The front has cut steel surround and this cut steel has about 16 cuts which is for sure very old dated late 18th century. This would date it to 1816-17. This would fit the style of cut steel boarder (I would have dated it earlier otherwise; certainly no later). Cut steel was very expensive and popular in the Georgian era, each piece of steel in attached separately to the frame(see back of one earring photo number 4 This little demi-parure could also date to the mid-18th century.
Brooch and earrings are set porcelain showing different scenes also a young lady on the swing being pushed what appears to be a servant or footman. In excellent wearing condition. The fronts of the earrings have cut steel surrounds, and are set with porcelain in the centers, showing a man playing a lute (?) and a gentle woman. Later silver wire fittings. All in excellent condition.
Size of the earrings 0.9 x 0.7 inches (23 x 18mms). Weight together 6.38 grams.

This pin was in a box of old jewelry that was mailed to me recently. Originally belonged to my Great Grandmother ( 1876 to 1970's). The other items I have identified from marks to be from 1880 to early 1900. This is not marked except for 10k on the pin.

I wonder if someone can identify the maker from the picture or possibly tell what the large purple color stone is?

Here is another item from my Bernard Instone collection.
It's a great ring with a large citrine stone and plenty of wonderful silver leaves and foliage surroundings. The ring is marked Sterling Silver, but no makers Mark which was typical of Instone.
I can honestly say this is a favourite Bernard Instone piece of mine.
Many thanks for looking

I bought this ring recently and I would like to know if any body would recognise this as a Persian blue Turquoise stone. The Turquoise doesn't have a matrix which I believe is a feature of a Persian Blue. The Silver mount is very elaborate with a detailed branch design which looks to me to be hand made. The ring hasn't a hallmark, but I tested it, and it is silver.
The size of the stone is 17mm x 12mm and the whole ring is heavy.
I would be very interested in you thoughts
Many thanks for looking.

Hi All-
I wrote about these earlier. They are Sterling silver cufflinks marked Denmark and with the stamp RL. I was wondering what someone could tell me about them. They have been in the family for a long time.
Thanks
Eliot Fairley

I have a friend who is a jade expert and he kindly sold me these beautiful mixed lavender jadeite beads: There are thirty-four (34) perfectly round 15mm beads of light to medium lavender and green Burmese jadeite, Type A natural color, alternating colors, 18.3" overall, 894 carats total weight. They were loose strung when I bought them.

For fun, I also bought three separate pendants and have a bale which allows me to add any of them when I want.

Most jewelry in the colors of white, green and purple is difficult to directly attribute to the Suffrage movement, as these colors were fashionable during that time period. I believe that this amethyst pendant could be a true Suffrage piece of jewelry.

This is an extremely fine quality pendant from the firm of Child and Child, circa 1910. Child and Child, London art jewelers from 1880 - 1916, were known for their beautiful enamel work and unusual designs. Their distinctive jewelry appealed to a wealthy, avant-garde clientele and they were patronized by artists from the Pre-Raphaelite circle including Sir Edward Burne Jones and William Holman Hunt, as well as royalty.

This pendant, in the colors of the Suffrage movement, is high carat gold and silver, set with a large faceted Siberian amethyst and diamonds, and guilloché enameled in purple and green. Surmounting the amethyst heart are the initials: R [in diamonds] and and C [ in enamel, both forwards and backwards]. These were the initials of Renee Courtauld [1873 -1962] a Suffragette from the renowned Courtauld silk family.

The pendant is 2 and 1/8 inches in length and 1 and 1/8 inches wide at its widest point. The workmanship is finely detailed, even to the point of having two gold coiled supports to reverse to ensure the pendant sits comfortably on the neck. It is marked with Child and Child sunflower mark to reverse. A superior example of Suffragette jewelry from one of the most prestigious firms of London art jewelers

This is a ring from my mom in law. It is marked 10K and BOA inside. Trying to identify the maker's mark... Anyone know who BOA is and maybe a rough age? If anyone can give me a good reference book for beginners or website I can go to. I am very new at this :)

My third ring of this kind, with chinese old carnelian pieces, mounted in silver with detailed decor and double shank.

You can say the carved carnelian is old from beeing domed and carved under too.

]]>Arts and Crafts / Arts and Crafts Jewelryhttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/156195-hand-wrought-silver-carnelian-ring-doubhttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/156195-hand-wrought-silver-carnelian-ring-doubShould I make this into a necklace?http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/156190-should-i-make-this-into-a-necklace
Sat, 25 Apr 2015 04:52:52 -0700

I have no clue/info about this bracelet :(
Old/New? No clue
Origin? No clue
Native American?
India?
Carved elephant material.......Bone? No clue.

What I do know is that I likey a lot.

But it's obviously a man's bracelet.....very large.

I do know that I would love to have it made into a necklace so I can wear it.
Should I do this?

Amazing the things you find when you spring clean.

Once again this had to come from a yard sale, church sale or thrift store.

I had no clue what category to put this under....but I don't believe this is costume jewelry so I chose Fine Jewelry.

This was an amazing find the other week. This is a Victorian 9ct Lorgnette chain that has lost its dog clasp. This weighs 23.6 grams and is 24" long. I love the detailing and weight if this piece. Found at the local flea. Thanks for looking

One of the favorite genres of charms are embossed hearts, known as répoussé, puffed or puffy hearts. Antique and vintage répoussé hearts are typically made of silver and are hollow, created by joining together two heart-shaped stampings, or by folding a doubled heart in half. Generally répoussé hearts have one decorative side and another that is unembellished (and often engraved). These hearts were popular from circa 1890 - 1910 (described as Victorian hearts) and then had a revival from the late 1930s through the fifties.

This charm bracelet is another lucky survivor. Owned and treasured by Hazel Latamier Yates (1919-2003) whose husband and friends gave her charms over many years, many of which are highly sought after. It was passed down to a niece, who sold it to a wonderful woman who chose to keep it intact.

This bracelet is exceptional in quality, an authentic, original 1940s piece, with nothing added or subtracted. The centerpiece is a daisy enamel locket with a photo inside of Lucille, Hazel's best friend. There are 7 enamel hearts, including one guilloché, 1 rhinestone-set heart, a very desirable lion's head heart, and one additional enamel charm with a total of 20 charms. These are attached to a marvelous sterling silver book chain. All charms are marked sterling and most have names or initials of the people who gifted the hearts to Hazel..

Love tokens, as defined by Joanne Schwartz in her book "Charms and Charm Bracelets" (great book!) have two criteria: hand-engraved and made from a coin that was once in circulation. As silver is an ideal material for engraving, most love tokens use silver coins, with (in the US) the Seated Liberty dime the material of choice. Most of the love tokens on the market today were made between 1876 through 1900.

Used as tokens of affection, souvenirs, or commemorations of events (birth, death, marriage), the love tokens were often incorporated into bracelets, brooches, watch fobs, etc. In their bracelet form, they can be classified as charm bracelets.

This bracelet is an outstanding handmade presentation bracelet, probably a wedding gift. There are 10 matching double-sided tokens engraved on dimes, all attached to a 9 cm (5/16") wide, fully-engraved silver band with a slide clasp.

Since I can only load 4 photos, I am only showing the pictorial side.
The tokens on one side of the bracelet are all pictures: foliage and flowers, a swan, bird, town, house, harbor, rocks in a body of water -- probably loads of symbolism in the choices! On the other side, there are initials (which I have tried to decipher): F H to L F Oct 23th 84 Ma Pa

That this one-of a kind bracelet is still intact (rather than pulled apart and the tokens sold separately) is amazing. I acquired it from Joan Munkacsi, an amazing and knowledgeable charm collector.

Date: probably 19th century to be precise: 1896 - 1908 this kind of mark was used. - Condition: perfect
Small silver dagger pendant in sheath, my research leads to presuppose that this could be a former Russian wedding silver belt buckle. The cyrillic writing on top part is: Caucasus.
Dimensions: dagger sheathed 9 cm in total, this pendant 17 inches long
There are many different labels such as a woman's head with the number 84 on the knife and the star-shaped mark surmounted by a crescent for original object. And a makers mark a Cyrillic letter for L and K that I've found on Antique Russian Silver makers :
http://www.925-1000.com/Frussia_makers_A_r.html
In the meantime I found a similar one see link:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Niello-Silver-Mini-Sword-Knife-Belt-Decoration-1910th-Russia-/291432067333?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43dab47105
Can anyone of you tell me if my assumption is correct or do you have another idea where this little dagger served ??

A lovely George Hunt Arts & Crafts silver pendant/necklace set with a large, domed, stained agate (chrysoprase), moonstones, an agate cabochon, and lapis within enameled leaves. The person I bought this from circa-dated it to 1925. Signed ‘G H’ in shield.

George Edward Hunt (1892-1960) was born near Birmingham, England and was left deaf at age five from diphtheria. At 16, he won a scholarship to the Margaret Street School where he was exposed to the work of Bernard Cuzner and Arthur Gaskin.

He opened his own studio in 1912 and is best known for using Limoges enamel, heart-shaped enamel leaves and many different stones in one piece of jewelry, and his frequent use of agates, moonstones and pearls. He designed and executed all of his own work.

This ring has a nice green "stone" but I have no idea what it is. It might be glass, jade, or something else. Because of the mark I think it is European, maybe English? I have not had any time yet to try to find out more about the ring but I think it goes back to the early last century.

This is one of my latest finds: The ring is marked 14K and was tested for gold. I usually don’t buy gold but I liked this ring. Unfortunately, one of the smaller opals has a little chip. The fault is not visible by the naked eye and because the ring was priced below the actual value of the gold, I decided to buy it. I am thinking to take the ring to a jeweler to see if it would make sense to have it fixed; but then again I am not planning to sell it and one really cannot tell. Maybe I should just enjoy it the way it is. What do you think?

I am not sure about the age of the ring. I have seen modern rings with three opals but the setting of my ring appears to be different, more playful. My guess is that the ring is a vintage ring, possibly at least a few decades old.

This ring likely dates from the early 1800's and features a carved moonstone "man in the moon" face, surrounded by 24 rose cut diamonds, set in silver, over an 18ct back and band. The top is quite big at 18mm diameter, as you can see in on the last pic, shown on my (male) hand.

We tend to forget that diamond engagement rings are a modern practice, introduced as a marketing device by De Beers in the 1930's.

Prior to this all sorts of rings were given at the time of a betrothal, and these man-in-the-moon rings were popular in the C18th and 19th due the moon's association with romance.

Evidence it's from the Georgian period are the floral engravings on the band and the closed back with the band connected directly to it.

In the same way that houses change over time, this enameled chain and pendant show similar "additions." Probably one of those pieces of jewelry inherited from grandmother and it was "totally out of style..." The 4th photo is a similar necklace from "Renaissance Jewelry in the Alsdorf Collection," The Art Institute of Chicago Museum Studies, pg 53.

The majority of the gold and enamel chain is late 17th century set with rubies and pearls.

The center piece, from which the pendant is suspended was added in the 18th century.

The clasp and the two sections two in from the back were added in the 19th century.

The pearl pendant center is a 17th century slide with enamel reverse which was put into the ruby and diamond surround in the 18th century.

Measurements - the chain is 15 inches long. The 17th century links measure 3/4 by 1/2 an inch and the 19th century bits measure 1/4 by 1/4 inch. The pendant is 2 and 1/4 inches long and 1.5 inches wide. Most of the original enamel is intact and it's a weighty, quality piece.

Cats are much harder to find as they were not cherished as much as dogs.

You will find BIG cats, as in the 1st photo. I have seen a wonderful lion at an antique show but the owner wanted $3500 for it!

The top brooch in photo 1 is quite interesting. It is a regimental brooch consisting of 2 tiger claws with 14K gold ends, centered above is an elephant with a howdah in sterling and yellow gold on a blue enamel “saddle-pad” background. Between the claws is a fine reverse carved rock crystal intaglio crystal painting of a tiger. Above the elephant is a white enamel ribbon inscribed with three major Indian battles: Amboor, Assaye, Ava

Inscribed on the back panel of 14K gold: From WC to SC In remembrance of the many happy years passed in the old 10th Reg't M.N.I 2nd Feb 1869 [(MNI=Madras Native Infantry)]. The elephant is the Honorary badge awarded to the MNI after the battle of Assaye.

The leopard is mounted in 18k, then later framed in a gold-filled mounting with enamel flowers.

Photo 2 has two tabbies:
- red tabby set in gold with a diamond and ruby surround
- brown tabby in hammered gold with diamond edge

935 silver, and the garnet set body and eyes add to his charming look.

I filled the lacking wing area with nacreous Fimo paste, baked the brooch for 30 minutes at 110 celsius, then colored with watercolor pencils and nacreous eye shadows.
Two layers of Pebeo glass clear (applied by drops with a tooth pick) then dried another 30 minutes in the oven at 60 celsius.

Does anyone know who this jewelry artist is? "M.L. Perry" and "STERLING" is stamped in this lovely little ring I found while metal detecting. I believe it is sterling silver with a lapis lazuli stone. It's a bit bent up, but should be easy to repair.

A web search suggests that the artist is Navajo, but I have no other information on the artist. Help!

European, possibly Spanish, and circa 1560, she looks quite young, probably in her early teens. Girls from noble families were usually political pawns, married to someone who could bring power or wealth to a family. This is most likely either a betrothal portrait or a "shopping" portrait, sent to a potential suitor. She is dressed in a formal gown and jewels.

The portrait is a rare oil painted on silver with a later period gold backing. It is set in a mid-1600s gold frame inset with pearls. The paint has a bit of flaking but is in generally good condition.

I really like portrait miniatures, and in particular those of children. Unfortunately, many are mourning pieces as many children didn't live to adulthood.

One of my favorites is this young girl holding a basket of white roses, strawberries and cherries, circa 1840. The dark clouds in the background could represent mourning, but I have no information on this portrait. It is most likely by an American painter, Mrs. Moses B. Russell (Clarissa Peters), but there is no signature. I had this frame made for the portrait.

MRS. MOSES B. RUSSELL (1809-1854) was born Clarissa Peters in North Andover, Massachusetts and she married the miniaturist Moses Baker Russell in 1839. The couple shared a studio at 21 School Street in Boston where Mrs. Russell specialized in portraits of children and posthumous mourning portraits. Their work is sometimes confused as her husband also painted portrait miniatures.

Antiques Roadshow had an attributed Mrs. Russell portrait and as part of the episode, they interviewed Elle Shushan, who said, ""Her children are almost always shown full body and full face looking directly at the artist with these two big eyes, and almost always holding something," Shushan says. "She painted the same face over and over again and it's a very cute face. Whether it was highly regarded back then by academic painters we don't know, but it's highly regarded today by folk art collectors."

Some characteristics of Mrs. Russell's work from a description I found:

These include a hatched striated background, with the skylike opening giving the work an atmospheric effect and creating the illusion of depth, counterbalancing the flat features of the child. The eyelids and irises are heavily outlined, making the eyes the most prominent facial feature. The large head and broad forehead, as well as the fine line that separates and distinguishes the hand from the forearm, are additional characteristics frequently encountered in Mrs. Russell's work.

If you Google Mrs. Moses Russell you can see a number of other examples of her work.

Picked this up at Salvation Army this morning. It's an Aztec or Mayan Sun Calendar Pendant more than likely from Mexico. The chain is 20" and the medallion is about an 1 1/4 " in diameter. The marks are extremely small and in varied locations. The ring clasp is marked 12K GF. The bale has 14K stamped on it. The medallion has a mark on the very edge. An oval with a star in the middle. The back has also been tooled with small spiral swirls over it's surface. Not certain but I think it's gold too just not sure what karat. I took the polishing cloth to it and it shines like crazy. I'll have to take it to the jeweler's to be extra sure. -Mike-

Note: 4/20/15
Took this to the jeweler's and while the chain is basically plated costume the pendant itself is 14K ! :)

"A reverse crystal intaglio is a rock crystal cabochon with an intaglio carved into the flat back. The intaglio is then painted realistically with oils so, that when viewed from the top, the image has a three-dimensional effect. Finally, the back was sealed with mother-of-pearl which preserved the painted areas. The technique originated in Belgium c. 1860 and was popularized in England c. 1860's by Thomas Cook. Reverse crystal intaglios were set as buttons and studs, mounted on tie pins, cuff links, lockets and charms. The motifs most commonly found for men were sporting themes - horses, dogs, foxes and birds and for women - monograms and flowers. They remained in fashion until poorly made glass and plastic imitations flooded the market c. 1920s."

This was a fantastic find the other day for $15 at the local flea. This is an Antique Nephrite necklace that was obviously badly restrung beads that should have been hand knotted. Which I am about to take the the jewelry store and have them done also with a vintage gold clasp. Honoring the Era of which it was originally made. Thanks for looking

Wanted to share these w/Kyra. I hoped they were yellow diamonds!! Lol and wink. Or maybe just weapons? A beautiful pair of white to pale yellow citrine or topaz? faceted hatpins, 7.25" in original box -from Udall & Ballou.

Here is what I found online from the Hancocks-London website:

"Udall & Ballou -1888 founded in New York was one of the finest New York jewellers of the early 20th Century. In its advertisements, they mentioned locations in Palm Beach, Florida; on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island; and at rue Lafayette, Paris. The company also maintained a location on Fifth Avenue in New York.
1920s they had become one of the most prosperous firms of the period

1939 For the World’s Fair in New York, they contributed jewellery which was abstract in design and architectural in effect. They were one of the few manufacturing jewellers identified with the famous “flower style” of the 1930s. 1940s During World War II, the firm closed due to the difficult financial situation."

I am not sure if they were worn much because box is perfect. Some lovely Edwardian lady received these as a gift maybe?

I am brand new to this group. Enamel is my life's work. I've been lucky enough to find ways to incorporate other passions into that work. Here are just a few of the antique pieces I've collected and then used as inspiration. The first art nouveau drop is unsigned. the other 3 are all Rene Lalique, my hero! It is a joy to collaborate with masters long gone. I hope you see my respect for them! I hope this is in the spirit of the group?!
"Sunset"
Central element is an original and unaltered Art Nouveau drop in gold and enamel. It has original tiny pearls and a natural freshwater pearl . I've used 24kt bezel for the diamond and sapphire as rivets to hold the antique in place without any alteration or damage

"Kabuki Kachina celebrates Freedom."
Lalique "Prisoners of War" medal, silver CA 1915. One of several designs Rene Lalique created for production to raise funds for the people of France who lost so much during WWI. If you look very closely you will see the broken chains hanging from her wrists, a defiant expression of freedom!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sisters in the Gardens
Rene Lalique Broach cast glass in original brass setting , with original pin mechanism unaltered set into fabricated gold and silver setting. The pin comes through openings in the back, a window is also left open for the "Lalique" signature. This design was cast in 3 different colors, I believe, over 20-30 years. The broach is ap 2+". I have the dimensions and the name of this piece, but it's on a different computer. It's quite thick!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Come, Peace"
Rene' Lalique "Orphelinat des Armees" medal circa 1915. This is a thin brass pressing of an incredibly moving carving/repousee' by the master to raise funds for the French orphans of WWI. They were sold widely, on a red, white and blue ribbon.

Elaborate 3-chain swag necklace with dangles, large emeralds (both bead and cabochon), natural pearls, diamonds and gold motif in 18K circa 1900; most likely custom-made, no marks to be found anywhere.

I saw this and fell in love with it. It was being sold has a Art Nouveau, Victorian pendant. I did some research and I think I found out were this pendant came from.http://www.cherubantiques.co.uk/Necklaces-Pendants.html.
If you go into necklace/pendant then scoll along you will come to one which has a similar engraving at the back as this one.
I think this pendant is from the North of India and is a Ladakh Tribal Amulet.
The engraving (embossed work) is of what I think at the top a bird, at the sides some kind of deer, at the bottom it could be a Lion or Tiger, deferently some kind of Feline, but I'll let you make your own mind up. In the middle is a Turquoise stone set in a beaded bezel surround. At the back is a lovely engraving of a Deer. The measurements are aprox 2 inch in length and the same across.
Many thanks for looking

Russian enameled hand hammered silver dish, or jewelry dish. Having a scrolled enameled floral design to rim. Scalloped rim with ribbed sides. Raised beaded four pod design.The length of the plate is 4.5 inches, the width is about 3.3 inches and the height is 0.6 centimeters.
Total weight of 1.32ozt.
The dish has been tested in 1000 (pure silver) , see picture 3 and has an unknown master sign, see picture 4.

I have replaced the hallmark picture. Who can tell me some more of the hallmark?

Some time ago I found this lovely handmade enameled Persian from the Quajar dynasty.This pin made of a domed copper plate that has been enameled by hand with an ornate Persian design. Shades of dark and light blues dominate this birds picture that is surrounded in tiny swirling vine-like patterns found in pieces of the early 1900s. The edges are set in a bezel setting decorated with coin silver canatille flowers. It closes with a C-clasp and the back is coated with a plain turquoise blue enamel. In good condition, it measures 5 x 3.5 cm. There are no marks at all which I believe it's silver. It fetch beautifully with my necklace and cufflinks I already published some year ago.
http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/104504-unique-vintage-silver-persian-enamel-cuf
http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/105452-wonderful-persian-enamel-silver-filigree
Amber Rose has gave me that time a very good tip to her loving the cufflinks namely to make earrings from these cufflinks. From one of the other pieces from the cufflink I still intend to let change into a ring. Then it becomes a beautiful parure. So this was a golden tip I will definitely go follow! What do you think?

On a 5.5/8" (15cm) stem is the most ravishing apple green 9/16" (1,4cm) jadeite ball, toped with a sapphire cabochon encircled with tiny rosecut diamonds, sitting on a cone shaped swirl of either platinum or white gold, millegrain setted with numerous rosecut diamonds.

I would love attract other hat pins collectors on CW to share their collection!

Starting in the early 19th century, Antonio Aguatti fundamentally changed the art of micromosaics by increasing the variety of tesserae shapes and blended tints by heat-fusing multiple strands of glass. Tesserae could now function as brushstrokes, simulating animal hair, feathers and foliage.

These two dogs, both set in black glass, show the advances in this medium via curved tesserae resembling fur. The whippet on the left, though, is earlier than the spaniel, as the foliage is still single-colored tiles mixed together to create the optical illusion of grass. The spaniel is more advanced as there are blended tiles and the dog generally looks more fluid.

The earliest micromosaics had visible joints between the tesserae, a more limited color range, and a naive use of perspective. When you look at an earlier micro, you see the tiles in lines and where there are curves, you can see the underlayment.

This high quality micromosaic was most likely the top of a metal box and was later turned into a pendant. The lid is marked J.COLA, a mosaicist named Giacinto (Jacinto) Cola who was active in Rome at the beginning of 19th century and apparently one of the best ( Domenico Petochi: I Mosaici Minuti Romani dei secoli XVIII e XIX, page 54). The micro is 2 3/4" across.

Butterflies are a common representation of Psyche, often pulling a chariot. Cupid is frequently shown with wings and his symbols are the arrow and torch, "because love wounds and inflames the heart."

This depiction is unusual because Cupid is represented by a bird, but the torch in the chariot would be symbolic of Cupid. The colors are lovely and the scene is elaborate, though the perspective is flat. If you magnify the photo, you can see the tesserae are set in straight lines and you can see where the artist struggled with the tiles on the chariot wheels. But, the tiles are so closely set together it is hard to see the individual ones (especially in the brown background) without a loupe.

I am also going to post two later micromosaics of dogs showing the changes towards naturalism, due largely to the work of Antonio Aguatti.

I have just bought these earrings, I have a pendant which I will post at a later date of Amy Sandheim, the Silver work looks similar.
The Moonstones are a wonderful colour and refects and changes light in a lovely way.
Now to the frame work, they are Marked 925 unfortunately no makers mark. The ornate frames are accented by a small Carnelian Stone. They measure 3.6 cm including the Shephards hook
Could do with some help folks
Many thanks for looking.

I normally do not collect post-war jewellery but I really fell for this brooch, and it was a gift. Although clearly modernist in style it is inspired by art deco. I think it must be from the 1960s. I think it is a unique piece made by a jewellery artist. It is marked 935 and signed but unfortunatelly I don't know who the maker is. It comes from Germany so I suppose it was made there. In any case, I love the combination of the materials, the malachite, coral, silver and silver gilt details.

This is a set of three tutti-frutti Arts & Crafts dress clips decorated with red peacocks in flowering trees. The two outer clips are a true pair, while the middle clip is slightly larger. The stones are all genuine rubies, emeralds and sapphires with great color, there are no synthetics.

The metal is sterling silver and there is a big surprise when you look at the backs. They are highly detailed, pierced, chased, and engraved with matching pictures of the birds on the front.

The workmanship is amazing. The setting of the stones, and the detail on the backs, are done in the traditional Georgian way, while the peacock design and tutti-frutti colour scheme shows the influence of India. The engraved backs are very similar to the silver bird brooches made by Bernard Cuzner, however these clips don't look like anything else of his that I've ever seen.

There can be very little doubt that these clips are British Arts & Crafts, certainly designed by a highly skilled artist and jeweller. To produce this set by hand, using traditional techniques, was time consuming work, and with the cost of the stones, the finished set must have been very expensive.

So who is the artist? I believe these are the creation of Arthur and Georgina Gaskin, based on the letter "G" in the eye of bird on the central clip (note the outer clips just have a dot for the eyeball).

They were possibly produced at the Vittoria Street School of Jewellery and Silversmithing, where Arthur Gaskin was headmaster, influencing his student Bernard Cuzner, who went on to become Head of the Metalwork Department at the nearby Birmingham School of Art.

From 1913 the craftsman jeweller Bernard Instone was also based at Vittoria Street, making pieces for the Gaskins, Bernard Cuzner, and other teachers at the school, and it's possible that it was his hand that made these clips, designed by Arthur and Georgina Gaskin, circa 1913-14.

This is a classic Bernard Instone ring. It is marked silver no makers mark. Unfortunately it has a leave motif missing as you can see from one of the photos. I did ask the buying if there was any chance of a repair, in his words, he said that he had asked a restorer friend of his if it could be done, the restorer said it would be difficult , and was better off leaving it alone. I love this ring, you would have to look closely to see the damage. I also like the box it came in, I'm not sure if it is bakerlite, I would be interested to know, so I have put a separate photo up.
Many thanks for looking

I havevno info on these. By the signature I believe they were designed by Peretti. They seem to be old. I found them when my mother passed in July. I cannot find anything like them in my Internet searches. Please, help.

It always amazes me when a plique a jour piece of jewelry survives without damage!

I was incredibly lucky to acquire this plique enamel bracelet in
formed as stylized butterflies. Set in sterling, it has large central chrysoprase cabachons and smaller onyx cabs, red enamel and marcasites. The butterfly wings are plique a jour enamel in green, white and purple.

Hallmarks include a cat (Egypt)and a capital letter E dating it to 1929.

I have another lovely plique bracelet which is also Egyptian. Anyone have any information on Egyptian Deco jewelry?

I have always assumed this quintessential Deco parure is French due to its barrel clasp and its flowing design, but there aren't any marks.

It is set with marcasites and accented with black and cream-colored enamel all set in rhodium. The center part of the bracelet is pierced metal and is 2" x 2 1/2". The earrings have a central onyx cabachon. The workmanship is really special!

Jewelry with special meanings is a favorite of mine. From Georgian love tokens with acrostic gem settings, to Art Deco charms with quirky subjects, these pieces helps us connect with the thoughts and feelings of the makers and past owners, even when all other traces of their identity are lost.

There are no maker's marks on this emerald, sapphire and ruby encrusted scarab bracelet, made of silver topped 18ct gold. What we do know, is the maker was steeped in a centuries old tradition of making seductive love tokens poignant with meaning.

At first examination it depicts a lush little scarab beetle on a bracelet of flowers. Closer inspection reveals a surprise, the scarab opens to reveal a vinaigrette, complete with removable grill, engraved in the Georgian style.

There is a clue to dating the bracelet, the sapphires are synthetic. Verneuil was mass producing synthetic rubies by 1903, but blue sapphires were not perfected until 1910. I doubt the scarab dates from the Egyptian Revival that followed discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922, when the design would've been more geometric, in the Art Deco style.

In my opinion the piece is late Edwardian, transitional Art Nouveau, and dates to circa 1911, a few years before WW1. I think it is probably French, made by a Paris "joallier" with early access to Verneuil sapphires.

My imagined joallier was working in the Georgian tradition of producing seductive love tokens, inspired by the birds and bees, and the jewelers' language of love. It's not only the birds and bees that fertilize flowers, in fact beetles pollinate 88% of all flowering plants.

This bright green scarab beetle is NOT the dark dung beetle revered by the Egyptians. The green scarabs (which include flower chafers) have this color for camouflage on the plants whose flowers they fertilize while munching upon their leaves.

The green scarabs have a distinctive smell, and it is a curiosity that some of the plants they inhabit have developed a similar scent, to attract the beetles to the plant to encourage pollination.

So this bracelet invokes an amulet of gorgeous flowers, set to attract the handsome scented beetle, who will fall upon it and consume it while fertilizing it. Potent symbolism, and oh what fun to explain the secret message to that special someone at just the right romantic moment.

One possible maker is Verger Freres (see: http://www.chubbcollectors.com/Vacnews/index.jsp?form=2&ArticleId=273) based on a similar ring signed F.V. which you can see here: http://www.kentshire.com/product/jewelry/fine-jewelry/new-and-notable/Z28254

I stopped at Volunteer's of America today as usual and noticed some really nice rings in the case. I asked to see the tray and looked at the prices and a few of them were well over a hundred dollars. The clerk told me they had separated the costume from the gold and silver rings and I was looking at the expensive stuff. There were no bargains to be had here, but then I tried this ring on and it fit perfectly. Something that almost never happens. At first I thought it was onyx but it was too metallic looking on the surface. Then I remembered hematite which is really a mineral but used in a lot of men's jewelry. The men's intaglio rings with the Roman heads are a good example of another use of hematite. This is a nice cushion cut which is hard to see in a black stone. The facets are just around the edges with a smooth top surface. This one carries Clark and Coombs double pennant mark and "sterling" stamped into the band. These are hard to date but mid-century seems about right judging by the design. I really have very little men's jewelry aside from a few cuff links and tie tacks. Mostly women's costume and silver. Truth be told I don't like wearing jewelry, but I think I can wear this at least sometime. If the ring fits wear it ! -Mike-

Clark & Coombs
Courtesy of Silver Forums .925-1000.com

Clark & Coombs which was established in 1872.Started out as a burnisher and finisher for a large silver compnay in North Attleboro Mass. Upon moving to Providence R.I. it built a national reputation for manufacturing gold and silver rings by the early twentieth century. By mid-century, however, production had dropped sharply due to antiquated machinery and inefficient management practices. In 1946 the business reorganized, and under the management of a new president and veteran jewelry manufacturer, Vita Cameglia, Clark & Coombs increased production by 100 percent within a seven-year period. The company further expanded after the purchase of jewelry tools and dies from the Ostby &. Barton Company.

The mineral hematite is said to bring inner peace and dissolve negative energy into love and relieve stress.This powerful grayish black stone has been used for centuries as an alternative form of healing. It's history dates back to ancient Egypt when the stone was used to stop blood flow and remove poisons from the body.
.....and boy do I need it !! -Mike-

To my opinion a very old French enameled portrait brooch set in silver.
There are no marks at all but I've acid tested for silver. Very nice portrait depicting a girl with bows inher hair.
The sizes of this brooch is 4.8 x 3.1 cm. It is very unfortunate but there is a lesion in the enamel on the face.
Furthermore, it is a nice old piece do not you think?

European pocket watches became popular with the Chinese Emperor Chien Lung and his courtiers and officials in the mid C18th and remained in fashion through the C19th.

These pocket watches were worn purely as jewelry and status symbols, and were not used for timekeeping by the Chinese, who didn't follow the Western system of fixed length hours and minutes.

The Chinese taste was for an enameled case, with an ornately engraved complex mechanism, covered by a glass cover (cuvette). This enabled the owner to show their admiring friends the details of the workings in operation.

The ideal configuration was for large watches (all the better to show off), and they were sometimes purchased in identical pairs, to have a spare in case one broke down (it would take over a year to send the broken one back to Europe for repair and receive it back).

Miniature Chinese Market watches like this one are rather rare. It is only 32mm in diameter, just a little larger than a bottle cap, and the pics in the last image should be about actual size.

You can see more info on the watch on this link, including details on how it came into our family around 150 years ago. http://theholygrail.com/ChineseMarketWatchbyDimier.pdf

This high carat Victorian gold ring is a testament to the skill and ingenuity of the Victorian goldsmith. A rare 'toy' or amusement ring. it consists of eight scalloped and engraved bands, terminating in an engraved bezel set with a panel of Persian turquoise and natural pearls. It also transforms into a wearable bracelet. The bands, when folded are 1/2 an inch wide. The bracelet is 7 inches in length and the links are 3/4 of an inch wide.

For similar, see "Rings, The Alice and Louis Koch Collection," numbers 1649 and 1650.

Rare ring watch, with no manufacturing marks, circa 1800. The oval blue enameled face is set with 2 dials -- the top is the second hand and the bottom show minutes and hours. There is a central diamond set balance; the case has a split pearl surround and is 1 inch high and ¾ inch wide. The interior photos show where the winding key would be inserted. It is a very large ring, either for a man or worn over gloves.

A ring watch is listed in a 1618 inventory of the Prince of Orange, but the first version which told reliable time was created in 1753 by Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais for Madame Pompadour and then Louis XV.

Some history of ring watches:

Very few makers were capable of making ring watches, considered as marvels of watchmaking. In 1753, Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais invented a new escapement which he enclosed in ring watches for Madame de Pmopador and then for Louis XV. Additional makers, Piguet et Capt, Antoine Rojard, and Pierre Simon Gounouilhou started to produce ring wathes around 1800. There are records for approximately sixty ring watches from that period, only three are signed, or rather scratched (by Piguet et Capt).

Miniaturization in horology began in the 14th century. By the early 17th century, miniaturization was in full bloom. A German maker produced a small stack freed watch with a movement measuring only 10 mm, less than 4 ½'''! As early as the 1580s, watchmakers were fascinated with the idea of fitting a watch into a ring. Only a few succeeded. In the early days, successful attempts bedecked royalty.

In the Metropolitan Museum of Art there is a very early ring watch, dating from about 1560 and signed I.W. The Mantua archives contain a letter from James Widman to the Duke of Mantua concerning three ring watches, and it is quite possible that one of them is the one in the Metropolitan Museum.

In 1764, the young John Arnold presented an extraordinary ring watch to King George III of England. It was a half quarter repeater, less than two centimeters in diameter and had 120 parts. The watch brought fame to Arnold and established him as a very capable watchmaker. Czar Paul I of Russia offered Arnold double what George III had paid - already a small fortune of £500 - but Arnold refused. This ring is sthought to be held by the Usher Art Gallery, Lincoln UK.

A French gold ring, circa 1820, which pulls open to reveal a so-called Galilean telescope with a combination of a convex or converging lens and a dispersing lens. The first telescopes were not very powerful and it wasn't until Galileo developed the combined lens system in 1580, that significant magnification was possible.

Designed as 'toys' or amusements for the wealthy in the 18th and 19th centuries, these miniature telescopes became very popular, especially during the Napoleonic era. As curiosities, they were found hidden in fans and perfume bottles as well as in pieces of jewelry.

A pendant with telescope is in the British Museum and a similar ring is in the Koch collection "Rings, The Alice and Louis Koch Collection" page 445 .

Amazing gold ring circa 1780, of interlocking hinged hoops which unfold into a miniature armillary sphere, with a crystal covered bezel containing a lock of hair. The interlocking hoops are concealed when the ring is closed.

Armillary spheres were used to show the movement of the planets around the sun, but the ring would not have been usable as such and illustrates the interest in science common in the 18th century.

Queen Elizabeth I often wore armillary sphere jewelry, which was highly symbolic at the time, used to represent wisdom and power and also as a symbol of the good relationship between Elizabeth and her courtiers

For example, the Hampden portrait of "the Virgin Queen" most likely painted in the early 1560s, shows an armillary, or celestial, sphere hanging at the end of a string of large pearls hanging from the Queen's waist. The device recurs in portraits of Elizabeth and her courtiers throughout her reign. The inclusion of an armillary sphere in the Hampden portrait is the first such example. It is thought to refer to the harmony which the Queen by her uprightness and wisdom has brought, and will continue to bring, to the kingdom: the religious settlement, the ending of the war with France inherited from her sister Mary I, and, perhaps by her marriage and child-bearing, a settled succession.

I have shown a close-up of Elizabeth wearing an armillary sphere tied near her left ear from the Ditchley portrait

For other examples of rings, see Victoria and Albert Museum Collection Number M.368-1923, Plate 96A in Oman's British Rings and No. 193 in Scarisbrick's Historic Rings

Would like appraisals, it's not certified wondering if it would be worth the effort I had it verbally appraised , it was was my grandfathers and then fathers now mine. I was told its a round stone,1.49 kts ,VVS2, J.

This a chatelaine pencil Sergio founde last week in Belgrano St. It was about 20 U$, so it was not cheap at all. It is Brimngham (the anchor) and from 1903, the hand engraved floral motif is very unusual in British silver. The wood of the pencil has the letters D. L. R. perhaps the brand of the pencil. The silversmith has marked the piece with 4 cartouche, the second seems and O the other are a mistery to me. Thanks for looking and for any commentary you can do.

This is why us ladies love to shop in Australia . I have quite a few Opal rings now. This one I love because you get colour everywhere you look, 13 times over....and these haven't been man made or doublets or triplets. But I have them too in my collection :) .....

I have a few jewellers out here who do varieties of opals and styles...

Had a request to post specifically on the eye miniature cufflinks, so here you go!

These are rare Georgian gold eye miniature cufflinks -- I have never seen another pair in books, museums or anywhere else. One side has a brown eye, and the other has a blue eye with rose-cut diamond tear, indicating these are probably a mourning piece.

On the back, each side has cypher initials painted on ivory, each with a different colored hair surround. The two sides are joined with their original cufflink mechanisms. I would circa date them to around 1780.

This was a bargain find: It was in the junk section of a second-hand shop. It looked pretty dirty but I had a feeling that it would be sterling. When I cleaned it up, I saw the mark! All for $1.99 Canadian! Given the ongoing exchange rate, it was almost free – LOL

I do not know anything about this ring at all. I am thinking that it might be Native American, but I am not experienced to make this statement. Any help identifying the ring would be greatly appreciated. Here is what I do know: The photos don't show it but the coulour of the stone is beautiful. The ring is not marked at all. I have not yet cleaned it but I suspect that it will clean up nicely with my usual silver cleaner. The ring is very small, as you can see. I am considering having it sized or give it to one of my daughters.

I found this bracelet last week. I must admit that I have developed a liking for this kind of jewelry for mostly two reasons: Firstly, these pieces appear to be mostly hand-made and therefore each one, although very similar in style, seems to have its own “personality” and, secondly, they are relatively solid and durable. The second point may be not important for anyone else, but for me is rather important because I break and lose everything (I just broke one of my favorite rings by accidently hitting a door with my hand. The ring is beyond repair).

- Victorian aluminum and gilt bracelet with drop; circa 1860, signed DV for Deville. Domes of extremely bright aluminium are overlaid with floral motifs and as with the finest quality aluminum jewelry, this bracelet is mother-of-pearl backed. The bracelet is 7 inches in length and 1 and 1/8 inches wide. The center drop section is 2 inches long.

- Victorian aluminum and gilt metal brooch circa 1860.

- Victorian long chain, circa 1880, of oval plain and textured aluminum links, interspersed with gold links and set to a large barrel aluminum clasp.

- Unusual Victorian aluminum earrings, circa 1860 - 1870, in the form of daisies, their capitulum painted yellow. The earrings have their original riveted fittings and are in their original box.

The existence of aluminum oxide was postulated by Sir Humphrey Davy in the early 19th century, but it took until 1854 for Henri Sainte Clair Deville to successfully produce a commercial grade material. He caused a sensation at the Paris Exhibition of 1857 with a few aluminum articles.

Aluminum was classed as a precious metal for several years, even though derived from clay. The first kilogram made by Deville in 1854 was priced at 3000 francs. Thereafter the cost fell dramatically -- 1500 francs in 1856, 400 francs in 1859 and by 1891 it had dropped to 20 francs.

The metal is extremely light and doesn't tarnish, could be worked by casting but was resistant to soldering. Initially pieces were riveted, but by the 1860s, aluminum was mounted in gilt metal.

It is hard to find aluminum jewelry from the 1860s-1870s when it was more popular than gold.

Rare surviving example of blown glass pearl earrings, circa 1790. Glass pearls were created with an inner coating of nacre made from fish scale paste, giving them the appearance of large natural pearls. (This is similar to the method used for costume jewelry pearls, especially the Niki pearls used by Miriam Haskell.)

These creamy golden glass pearls are suspended from gold and foiled aquamarine tops with reverse ear fittings. The earrings are two inches long including gold ear fitting, 1 and 3/4 inches long excluding ear fitting and 2/3 of an inch wide across the front of the glass pearl.

I had posted this a few months ago. I finally got around to taking it to the jewelers along with a few other pieces that I thought might have potential. I was very surprised to find out that the outside frame is composed of twelve tiny oval diamonds set in 10k white gold . It is marked 10K and I knew that it was gold, but diamonds...really !! The chain is also very fine and 10K white gold. The center larger stone is a white sapphire. The whole pendant is about the size of a penny but oval. I was floored because I only paid a couple dollars for this ! My little silver rings I posted earlier also turned out to be rubies, opals, and freshwater pearls. Even the itty bitty .10 carat diamond and gold engagement ring was a flawless stone ! None of these are worth huge amounts because of their size but a couple hundred here and there can really add up. I'm amazed !! -Mike-

Left to me by my Mom. Keep them in at the Bank safety Deposit Box so I do not lose them. They would be from 1955. They are 4 pieces to it.....they are 18 kt WHITE gold with lots of Filgree work on top and sides. Diamonds are high quality as I have the paper from the Jewelry store that had to appraise them. I can not remember the numbers right now -- but they were clear, bright, good cut, clarity, and no imperfections....and had a very good number, as explained to me.

Two Rings. They are not PERFECT! They were worn daily on the farm when my Mom was alive. These were worn in the house, the yard, or in the field helping Dad out. They show the character of my Mom life. The Rings were loved.

I like when antiques show their Character. As I am Not a Perfectionist. I am one of those people that like to get the dust, dirt, and rust on my Hands. My Mom was that type of lady too. Working in the field driving truck or the combine (side by Side with my DAD ) -- then shower, clean up and throw on a Dress and be a lady at a Social function with my Dad. My Mom & Dad were well loved by all.

Who can me tell me more about these filigree earrings with seed pearls.
They are not hallmarked but I have them acid tested for at least 14K.
I think that they are wonderful but I don't know what origin and what period they are? Any idea?? And perhaps is there anybody who can tell me how I can buy/get some tiny seed pearls because as you can see there are two seed pearls lost of one earring! The pearls are restrung because the horse hair was broken.

I found this lovely little brooch in a yard-sale last weekend... It is probably a portrait of St. Fabiola (although she is usually depicted with a red veil - unless this is Virgin Mary...). It is made of Limoges enamel and it is unsigned. It has a diamond-shaped hallmark at the back and a trombone clasp.
It is 1' diameter.
If anyone has more info about it, please let me know! :)

Very large pin with guides on back to also wear as a pendant. Gold filigree with emerald cab and aquamarine and turquoise stones....just guessing.
Very large about 3.5 by 3.5 inches. Nothing missing.
Have been searching for info and found nothing like it.

spring cleaning and found several items passed down to me...this my fav...but havong troubles identifying the maker...i have attached stamp and hoping i can look up the designer...just not sure where to start...so i cantrace it back through my family

Tap on the above pictures for larger view. --- (one, platinum and diamonds --- second,-- solid silver --, top and bottom views ) --------------- One can only imagine what kind of resources it took to have two items such as these made in 1938. ---- Who could be trusted with the very early drawings and plans of the BELL AIRCRAFT P-39 AIRACOBRA FIGHTER AIR PLANE? ---- Who would have had access to an assortment of diamonds and precious metals required to make such items? ---- Who would have had access to jewelers, at their command, with total loyalty, in total secret, --- and --- with the skill and talent to make such items? ---- Who was concerned with a "show of wealth"? --- Who could wear jewelry this large and heavy ? --- Who was in dire need to upgrade and modernize their air force ? ------ Who was directly in the path of Hitlers war machine? ------- The p-39 Airacobra was used not only in military activity, these fighter aircraft also served as fighter and persuit aircraft escorting --- presidents, kings and queens, and other leaders such as Winston Churchill, General Eisenhower, and other heads of state from many countries. -------------------------- In 1938 the GREAT DEPRESSION was winding down and the average income was around $1,700 or less per year, if you were lucky enough to have a job. People in the UNITED STATES were more concerned with feeding and supporting their families. Surviving was the main objective. The same was true for Lucille and Larry Bell. All indications are that Lucille and Larry Bell shared the same economic trials and tribulations. But Larry Bell was truly dedicated to "flying". His goals and dreams were to make it "real", to make it "happen", and to make it "fly". -------- It is unlikely that in 1938 that Lucille and Larry Bell had the desire or the resources to have had these items made. After 2 years of research, I have found no public display of these items. Many museums and institutions have been involved in the research. Please feel free to offer any comment or directional information. Any input will be welcomed. --- FOR SECURITY PURPOSES, PRECIOUS STONE COUNTS AND QUANTITIES HAVE NOT BEEN MADE PUBLIC -- CAN NOT BE DETERMINED FROM ANY PHOTOGRAPH MADE PUBLIC --- LOCATION OF THESE ITEMS CAN NOT AND WILL NOT BE MADE PUBLIC.--------- W. H. Long ---------- ( whlong2715@gmail.com ).

Berlin Iron jewelry was popular throughout the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It was originally manufactured in Germany, but during the Napoleonic period (early 1800s), manufacturing moved to France (it is said that Napoleon stole the German equipment and moved it to Paris). By 1813 or so, Germany was again creating this jewelry and by the 1830s it was available in London.

The intricate designs were fashioned from base metal finished in black lacquer; the resulting jewelry was called Berlin Iron, after the Prussian capital. During the Prussian War of Independence, 1813-15, women supported the war effort by exchanging their precious jewels and gold for delicate, ornate ironwork designs. Earlier examples were in the neo-classic style; later motifs were naturalistic, with a Gothic influence.

An excellent reference work on Berlin Iron is Cast Iron from Central Europe, 1800-1850 by Elisabeth Schmuttermeier, The Bard Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, 1994.

Read more about Berlin Iron jewelry in Anne Clifford’s Cut Steel and Berlin Iron Jewellery and in Shirley Bury’s Jewellery 1789-1940 The International Era, Volume II.

Bracelet of linked spring-wire circles with a single cameo plaque on polished steel decorating the clasp. The spring wire in this bracelet is the same construction as the chain in the prior necklace. See Anne Clifford, Cut-Steel and Berlin Iron Jewelery Plate 42, page 80 for a similar example.

These cameos were typical of jewelry made pre-Waterloo, when Napoleon’s empire still held sway over current fashion. This bracelet features six different classical heads each set on a medallion of polished steel and surrounded with swirls of iron wire. The cameos are graduated, the largest being the head on the clasp. For a similar bracelet, see plate 42 in Anne Clifford’s "Cut Steel and Berlin Iron Jewellery." The piece is in wonderful condition, with a few small areas of wear to the polished medallions. Measures 8” long; largest cameo panel is 2” high.

3 Two Berlin Iron bracelets, circa 1830s-1840s when the best jewelry was made!

Top: Elaborate cast iron bracelet, made by Johann Conrad Geiss, circa 1830, showing a combination of Neoclassical and neo-Gothic styles. There are Gothic architectural elements (tracery and foils) mixed with naturalistic representations of foliage. The clasp shows a dancing maiden set on polished steel and rimmed with gold wire.

Johann Conrad Geiss (1771-1846) was the most important influence on the production of iron jewelry. In 1806 he began to design his own jewelry and had the individual pieces produced in Gleiwitz and Berlin, then assembled into necklaces and bracelets. He was the first to set high quality iron jewelry elements in gold and silver and to frame cameos in gold wire. He became so successful the foundires could not keep up with his orders, so he estalished his own foundry in Berlin where he mainly cast jewelry elements he designed. (information from Cast Iron from Central Europe, 1800-1850, Elisabeth Schmuttermeir, The Bard Center ..., 1994). He signed his jewelry Geiss A Berlin, but often only a single piece in a parure was stamped.

Bottom: A superb lacey cast iron bracelet, most likely by Siméon Pierre Devaranne. The son of a Berlin merchant, he established himself as a "craftsman in gold and silver" in 1814. He later described himself a manufactuer of gold, silver and fine cast-iron goods, Devaranne had his work cast at the Berlin or Gleiwitz foundry or in his own factory. His products were praised for their extraordinary technique and delicacy of the design

4. Berlin Iron and Silesian Wirework bracelet, circa 1820.

A rare example of a combination of Berlin Iron and Silesian wirework. The bracelet "links" are alternating panels of woven wirework and coiled wire. The clasp is a large polished steel oval with a cast medallion of St. George and the Dragon surrounded by a foliate cast border.
See Clifford, page 84 plate 46 top bracelet for another example.

This genuine 163 grams heavy bead necklace very nice colored stones. Made in Germany a country with many natural stones are extracted. Restrung with Sterling silver clasp. Diameter each bead 1.3 cm, length: 47 cm with extender to approx. 50 cm.
Because I don't know of any type of natural stone these beads are made I sincerely hope any of you can give me an answer to the question of what this natural stone necklace is made ? ? ?

A ring from my uncle who served in China starting in 1943 through 1945. I am still trying to determine the significance if any. I do know the symbols to the side is China. Most of the symbols are just about worn off on the inside. I will work to get better/higher contrast images.

this item is supposed to be a turkmen or pashtun tribes wedding cuff, pre-owned but i can't tell anything about the age... the three lapis are hand polished and the whole thing is handmade... no silver hallmark might be plated only.. seems to be partial gilded

This cute little guy was with the other pieces I found at SA today. Marked Mexico .925 T-100 on the underside I believe his eyes are onyx. There are some online with turquoise eyes as well. His mouth is open in mid-croak with his legs poised and ready to jump. Probably from the 60's or so. -Mike-

LEFT BEHIND BY LUCILLE M. BELL, WHO WAS THE WIFE OF LAWRENCE DALE BELL, FOUNDER OF BELL AIRCRAFT CORPORATION. THIS ITEM HAS SEVERAL UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS : 1) MADE OF SOLID SILVER. --- 2) SLIGHT SLOPED BACK FRONT WINGS. --- 3) ALMOST NO FLAT SURFACES, SURFACES ARE ROUNDED YET PERFECTLY SYMMETRICAL. --- 4) DESIGN IS OF EARLY P-39 AIRACOBRA DESIGN CONCEPTS, DATING APPROX 1938 OR EARLIER. --- 5) ATTACHING PIN AND CLASP RUNS FROM NOSE TO TAIL ALONG THE UNDER BODY OF THE AIRPLANE. --- 6) PIN CLASP INDICATES OF EUROPEAN ORIGIN PRIOR TO 1939. --- 7) PIN HINGE AND CLASP ARE BOTH DRILLED AND TAPPED -- SCREWS INTO THE BODY. --- 8) THE PROPELLER IS ON A SHAFT ( THE CENTER CANNON) THAT IS ALSO DRILLED AND TAPPED. ---9) THE PROPELLER SPINS AND HAS 3 BLADES. --- 10) FOUR WING MOUNTED GUNS ARE DRILLED AND TAPPED, GUNS SCREW INTO THE WINGS. --- 11) AIRPLANE IDENTIFICATION MARKINGS INDICATE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE (PRE - 1939). --- 12) DETAILED ON TOP AND BOTTOM SIDES. --- 13) LEFT TO RIGHT SYMMETRY IS PERFECT. --- 14) THIS ITEM IS WHITE SILVER -- PICKS UP SURROUNDING LIGHT. --- 15) UNLIKE MOST BROOCHES, WHERE PARTS ARE SOLDERED ON, THERE ARE NO "SOLDERED ON PARTS" --- THIS ITEM IS MADE WITH "WATCHMAKERS PRECISION" USING "WATCHMAKING TECHNIQUES" (PERFECTLY DRILLED HOLES, PERFECTLY TAPPED AND PARTS ARE PERFECTLY THREADED, RESULTING IN A PERFECT FIT). --- 16) THIS ITEM HAS NO HOLLOW AREAS, ALL SOLID SILVER. ------------ RESEARCH IS ON GOING. UPDATES TO COME. WHLONG. (whlong2715@gmail.com)

This is a vintage pendant that splits apart and holds a piece of wood. It is labeled St. Anne. I'm not sure where it came from or of how much importance it is. If you know anything I would love to hear it! Thanks!!!

Here are the pieces of Jewellery I brought back from Sri Lanka. This Silver ring has a very modernist design to it, the Moonstone is suppose to be a grade 1. The Silver earrings are of a common design, I see that one of the stones in the one of the earrings has a bluer hue to it. I suppose it is difficult to get the same colours. I decided to put them all on one post. My favourite by far is the multi coloured pendant, I wear it all the time. I also like the rough gem stones?
I do have other things from Sri Lanka to put on my post at a later date, They are not Jewellery.
Many thanks for looking

TWO OF THE MOST VALUABLE BROOCHES IN THE HISTORY OF AVIATION --- LEFT BY LUCILLE M. BELL, WHO WAS THE WIFE OF BELL AIRCRAFT CORPORATION FOUNDER, LAWRENCE DALE BELL, (LARRY BELL). -------- THE ABOVE PHOTOGRAPHS OF --- 1) P-39 AIRACOBRA FIGHTER AIRPLANE BROOCH ---- SOLID PLATINUM AND DIAMONDS ------ AND ---- 2 & 3) P- 39 AIRACOBRA FIGHTER AIRPLANE BROOCH --- SOLID SILVER -------- 4) MR. AND MRS. LAWRENCE "LARRY" DALE BELL. ---------ALTHOUGH BOTH ITEMS ARE MADE AS BROOCHES WITH ATTACHMENT PINS, BOTH ARE TOO LARGE AND HEAVY TO BE WORN AS PINS OR BROOCHES. BOTH ITEMS WERE LEFT BEHIND BY LUCILLE M. BELL AND BOTH ITEMS HAVE VERY UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS. ----- ------ THE P-39 AIRACOBRA FIGHTER AIR PLANE WAS MANUFACTURED BY BELL AIRCRAFT CORPORATION AND WAS USED IN WORLD WAR TWO BY --- THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE --- THE ROYAL AIR FORCE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM --- THE RUSSIAN AIR FORCE, --- AND OTHER COUNTRIES. ALL FIGHTING AGAINST HITLER'S FORCES. ----THE P-39 AIRACOBRA FIGHTER AIRPLANE SERVED NOT ONLY IN BATTLE BUT IT SERVED AS ESCORT AIRCRAFT PROTECTING PRESIDENTS, KINGS, QUEENS AND DIGNITARIES FROM MULTIPLE GOVERNMENTS AND COUNTRIES. --- FOR SECURITY PURPOSES, DIAMOND, EMERALD AND SAPPHIRE COUNTS CAN NOT BE DETERMINED IN ANY PHOTOGRAPH MADE PUBLIC AND THE LOCATION OF THESE ITEMS CAN NOT AND WILL NOT BE DISCLOSED TO THE PUBLIC ----- RESEARCH ON THESE TWO ITEMS IS ON GOING. WHLONG. (whlong2715@gmail.com)

the last butterscotch baltic amber necklace i found
this time in lower weight of 25gr but in just amazing colors
please excuse the bad pics but i sold it 20 minutes after finding this time... the price offered has been too good and my wife has a nicer one to keep anyway...

19" Long
Sterling silver
Silver Beads and S hook/ Clasp
Turquoise and Amber
Found this the other day at GW
at this GW they keep the jewelry behind the counter in bags....I was there for about an hour going through all that bagged jewelry.
Had to wear it the next day :)
My boss fell in love with it!
Can anyone tell me if it's real Amber ?
Another question.....Age?

With the advent of the Renaissance Revival period, starting in the 1850s, the demand for authentic Renaissance materials, including jewelry, was heightened especially among the wealthy. Collections were amassed by the Rothschilds, the Wideners, the Walters, the Gutmans and others. Serving these collectors were specialists and dealers, and pre-eminent among them was Frédéric Spitzer (1815-90) who owned an antique business in Aachen from about 1850 till at least 1868, and who became familiar with Reinhold Vasters, a well-known goldsmith and restorer of silver and gold owned by the Aachen Cathedral Treasury.

Spitzer later moved to Paris. Preferring to be known as an amateur collector, Spitzer was clearly a brilliant dealer moving in the most elegant social circles in Paris. In particular, the Rothschilds were heavy buyers. Stephen Beissel writing in the year of Spitzer's death observed that Spitzer had 'as is well known, employed for almost fifty years a series of first rate artists in Paris, Cologne, Aachen etc., who made him old things'. So Spitzer had a stable of artists (including Vasters and the Parisian jeweler, Alfred André (1839-1919)) who made Renaissance-style jewelry which he then sold.

Of course, all of this is fine, except somewhere along the way, the jewelry was marked in inventories and other recorded documents as coming from the 1500s. Thus, many Renaissance-style jewels and works of art have been accepted as genuine throughout much of the 20th Century. Indeed the work of these artists was so sophisticated that it is only through the chance survival of the Spitzer catalogues, Vasters' drawings (found in the archives of the V&A in the 1970s) and André's models that it has become possible to identify with any degree of certainty their productions today. At the point of the discovery of Vaster's drawings, many of the world's museums had to re-assess their collections, finding large numbers of mis-identified pieces.

For an interesting article on Vasters, see https://thiswritelife.wordpress.com/2011/07/20/reinhold-vasters-artisan-or-forger/.

Interestingly, pieces by Vasters and André are highly sought after in their own right.
---------------------------------------------
The above is a preamble to the piece of jewelry shown above. I acquired it in 2010, did a ton of research and finally, in 2014, had it confirmed by an expert that the pendant is the work of Reinhold Vasters! YIPPEE!

This is a double-sided pendant composed of two oval carnelian plaques (from Italy, carved in the 1700s). The obverse is carved in relief with a female figure, nude from the waist standing by an altar and looking up to a sunburst, a ribbon issuing from her mouth enclosing the inscription: MAGNI SPES ALTERA REGNI and, on the other side of the altar, a winged cherub holding a heart-shaped white sapphire engraved with bees and the inscription PLEBIS AMOR REGIS CUSTODIA ("the love of his people is the safeguard of the king."); the altar is set with a table-cut ruby.

The reverse side is a carved intaglio with the Virgin and Child and St. John the Baptist and a cartella inscribed E(cce A(gnus) D(ei).

Both plaques are set in a rock crystal frame surrounded by twisted wire and pearl-threaded borders interrupted by four enameled gold openwork clasps with pin-set pearls; with a pearl drop below and suspension ring above; the jewel attached by four chains with alternate links of enameled and undecorated gold hanging from a cross-shaped suspension member enameled red, white and blue with pendant pearl drop.

Could be from the Middle East. Gallipoli maybe. Made of gold and silver. Has space for photos inside. No glass cover. Looks handmade. Inside middle offront cover is a jagged hole. There are no distinguishing marks on it as it appears homemade.

I purchased this in Lyon just a few days ago. My husband saw it in the window of a small jewelry store in the old part of town and he liked it. He thought that I would like it too. I didn’t argue and so we bought it. Because my French is literally nonexistent, I didn’t understand too much about the explanations of the sales lady. What I do know is that the piece is sterling and amber and it is hand-made. I am, however, not sure about the age and the origin of the bangle.

This bangle is the largest one I have in my collection. It has a weight of 85 grams and is rather wide.

This lovely ring is in classic Arts & Crafts style. The fruit motif seems to represent oranges or pomegranates, which were very popular in ornamental designs such as those of William Morris.
The green stone is apparently Amazonite (thanks CW!).
It has some wear, a sign that it has been loved… it still is. I wear it quite often.
Made in the UK around 1900, maker unknown.

Evening all-
Saw this at a yard sale today and even though it's in rough shape, I thought it was interesting enough to bring home.
Measures 2.5" x 2"- c-clasp.
I tried to take pics that would show the almost metallic glow, but none of the pictures really show the rich silvery sheen.

No markings, though it looks like there was some sort of sticker on the back at one time or another... and I haven't cleaned it yet.

Did a little reading and comparing of photos online: reverse carved glass, intaglio, goofus glass... lots of new terms.

Since I am not positive exactly what method was used to create this, I dont know how to date it.

This was a great find at the local flea this week. It's a nice quality star sapphire from India. I found this in a pile of sterling rings. I snatched this up as fast as I could. I have been looking for a piece like this for a little while. Thanks for looking

I know I haven't shown these before as they are only about four years old my sister in-law brought them for me as I don't wear a lot of jewellery unless I'm going somewhere special or out to dinner. At the moment that ones out of the question has been for awhile & these it would have to be a special occasion or dinner to dressy looking to just wear for day to day use. The stones through out beautiful colours but I don't know what type of stone they are. Being from Prouds they could possibly be Diamonds as she is not the type to by anything cheap. I hope you like them as much as I do. I'm seriously thinking about selling most of my jewellery I buy something I'll get the use out of as I don't have anyone to pass them down to. My sister in-laws would not be interested in the older pieces as it's not there style. So for the Wright price I would think about selling the older ones.

This is my 100th posting so I decided to put this Dorrie Nossiter Bracelet and Earrings for this special post.
What can I say about these beautiful pieces, I'll let the photos do the talking.
Dorrie Nossiter was born in Aston, Birmingham 1893-1977.
Dorrie crafted precious Jewellery of her own designs in the English Arts and Crafts. Her work is known for her use of colour and floral and curature line using gemstones in motifs.
Dorrie was educated at the Municipal School of Arts in Birmingham from 1910-1915.
She lived in London where her work was shown in the Arts by four women exhibition at Walkers Gallery London. Dorrie would go on to exhibit there from 1935-1939.
Her work was sometimes confused with another Jewellery Designer Sybil Dunlop.

This pair of earrings typify the streamlined modernist oeuvre of Nanna Ditzel, designer to Georg Jensen in the mid-late 1900s. They bare post-1945 GJ hallmarks, 925 S Denmark, and the design number #136D.
They are most likely from the 60s/70s.

A modern addition to the iconic heritage Moonlight Blossom series, these are a beautiful pair of chandelier-style earrings, created in sterling silver for Georg Jensen, and set with vibrant orange chalcedony stones.
Each 79mm long, approximately.
They are marked on the reverse with GJ initials and 925S stamps.

This was a weird set. I've seen this stuff before somewhere a long time ago. It is made of frames of cut mother-of-pearl with real freshwater seed-pearls sown together with human hair. Very interesting I think. Did a quick search and didn't turn up any other examples of it. It is coming apart a bit but it was so unique that I decided to buy it.

This slide is one of the most amazing pieces of jewelry I own! It is a Stuart Crystal slide, dated 1692, with a ground of royal blue enamel, gold wire and plaited hair, overlaid with a miniature version of the Lord's Prayer, written by hand on a tiny disc of paper less than one centimeter in diameter, all set beneath a cabochon rock crystal. Let me repeat: the paper it is written on is less than one centimeter!

This slide measures 3/4" x 3/4". There is some loss to the blue enamel and there is a 19th brooch fitting to the back with the original slide fittings removed.

Detail of the Lord's Prayer

Designed to demonstrate the astonishing skill of the calligrapher, the writing is barely decipherable without the aid of magnification. A person more expert than I am took the close-up of the writing.

Miniature writing samples of this type showed the characteristic 17th century interest in scientific experiment and technical virtuosity. Masters in the art trained for seven years to develop their calligraphy skills in miniature. Such pieces held more than curiosity value, as religious inscriptions were often held to protect the owner against misfortune.

A similar example, in a ring, is in Case 20, Religion and Ritual, in the Enlightenment Gallery of the British Museum. Evidently considered a remarkable piece early in its history, it was acquired by Sir Hans Sloane, whose collections became the foundation of the British Museum in 1753. It is the only example of this work in the museum.

Fahrner jewelry, especially pieces designed during his lifetime are favorites of mine and this necklace is particularly splendid!

Designed by Georg Kleeman, circa 1902-1903, it has a 218 mm (5'6") silver chain, sectioned with nine matrix opals. Finishing the chain are sterling plaques in an Art Nouveau design inset with blue-green cell enamel. Hanging from the plaques are fine silver tassels (8 1/2" long), tipped with small silver pearls.

The chain was wrapped around the neck several times with the decorative parts and tassels to the front.

The necklace is stamped: TF 950 MBCo (Theodore Fahrner and Murle Bennet Co). Murle Bennet had manufacturing factories in Pforzheim and manufactured jewelry for many companies, but the double signature is uncommon.

This necklace is pictured in "Theodore Fahrner: Jewelry Between Avantgarde and Tradition" on page 111.

I have no idea of this type of Jewellery. I believe it is made of tiny tiles and called Mirco Mosaic, Im not sure if the metal is Silver Gilt or Brass. It is quite heavy and 1 1/2 inches long by 1 inch wide. I think it may be Victorian.
It certainly looks very colourful.
Any information would be great.
Many thanks for looking

This is a unusual Brooch. I'm thinking it could be Georgian. I think it is Silver Gilt with filligree around the circle and 4 people within the circle there is a line along the middle of the brooch with mother pearl and a cut steel bead in between the mother of pearl.
I'm not sure if the front is a serpents head. The clasp is unusual, any comments are much appreciated.
Many thanks for looking.

This is a amazing pendant, I think the pendant has been carved from a single piece of Tortoise shell. In the middle cabehon the light hits the shell and it sends out a fantastic array of colour, I'm not sure if this pendant is Tortoise shell, I'm only surmising, I would be most greatful if anyone out there could tell me.
On the outer ring of the pendant there are unfortunately rusty cut Steel beads. In its hey day it would have been a stunning usually piece, I'm sure with some TLC it could be bought back to live.
Many thanks for looking

My mom thought this was junk. It's not. Found out it's 18k white gold w/a natural ruby. The makers mark inside the band is no longer visible. She believes it belonged to my great aunt or great-grandmother. Pierce work on the band is very detailed. Hoping to learn an approximate age...thinking it's art deco period, but maybe earlier? Has anyone ever seen this type of ring before?

Hey Everyone
I need some help identifying these hallmarks on a cufflink and tie bar I just got.
It's marked 750 , there is a pentagon shape with what appears to be a crown in it and a 3rd marking. ( probably the makers mark )
If anyone recognizes them please give me a shout.

PART TWO ---- UNIQUE ASPECTS CONCERNING THE P-39 AIRACOBRA FIGHTER AIRPLANE BROOCH. ----- 1) SOLID PLATINUM -- 2) ALL NATURAL STONES -- 3) ALL STONES ARE EITHER ROUND OR EMERALD CUT OR CUT TO FIT THE INTENDED POSITION -- 4) ALL ROUND DIAMONDS ARE "BRILLIANT CUT" STONES -- 5) ALL STONES ARE "PAVE' SET -- 6) ALL STONES ARE "CALIBRE" CUT -- 7) ALL STONES ARE "OPEN BACK" SET -- 8) ALL STONES ARE EXPOSED ON TOP AND BOTTOM -- 9) ALL DIAMONDS ARE OF GRADUATED SIZES --- LARGE TO SMALL -- OR SMALL TO LARGE --- 10) ON THE FRONT AND BACK WINGS, FOR EVERY DIAMOND POSITION, THERE IS AN EXACT SIZED AND MATCHING STONE ON THE OPPOSITE WING, FOR EITHER ROUND, EMERALD, OR CALIBRE CUT STONES --- 11) ON THE REAR VERTICLE TAIL SECTION THERE ARE "STACKED" -- " DOUBLE SIDED" EMERALD CUT DIAMONDS, EMERALDS AND SAPPHIRES --- THE SAME STONES ARE VISIBLE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE VERTICAL TAIL SECTION --- 12) THE CANOPY WINDOWS ARE "CUT TO FIT, NATURAL ROCK CRYSTAL" --- 13) THE PROPELLER IS FIXED IN THE HORIZONTAL POSITION --- 14) ALL "ONE PIECE" CONSTRUCTION EXCEPT FOR THE VERTICAL TAIL SECTION --- THE STONE SET SECTION --- THAT APPEARS TO BE "V" SLOTTED AND FIT INTO POSITION WITH A "V" TAB ON BOTTOM SIDE --- THIS HAS NEVER BEEN OPENED OR SEPARATED. --- 15) THE PIN HINGE HAS A "GOLD" SHAFT PIN --- RUNNING FROM FRONT RIGHT WING TIP TO FRONT LEFT WING TIP. --- 16) APPROXIMATE DATING 1938 TO 1944. --- DUE TO CLASP AND DETAIL OF WORKMANSHIP, THIS ITEM APPEARS TO BE OF EUROPEAN ORIGIN AND MANUFACTURE --- AIRPLANE IDENTIFICATION MARKINGS INDICATE PRE-1939 AND PRE-PRODUCTION OR VERY EARLY BELL AIRCRAFT DESIGN --- 17) ONE OF A KIND KNOWN TO EXIST --- 18) LEFT BEHIND BY -LUCILLE MAINWARING BELL, WHO WAS THE WIFE OF LAWRENCE "LARRY" DALE BELL, FOUNDER OF BELL AIRCRAFT CORPORATION --- 19) HISTORICALLY INVALUABLE AND RESEARCH IS ON GOING. --- 20) A " COBRA SNAKE" IS MOUNTED ON THE FRONT HOOD, SOLID PLATINUM ---- FOR SECURITY PURPOSES THE EXACT COUNT OF DIAMONDS, EMERALDS AND SAPPHIRES ARE NOT MADE PUBLIC AND CAN NOT BE DETERMINED BY ANY PHOTOGRAPH MADE PUBLIC ---- ALSO ---- THE LOCATION OF THESE ITEMS CANNOT BE AND WILL NOT BE DISCLOSED TO THE PUBLIC ------ I AM CONTINUING TO RESEARCH AND COLLECT DATA AS TO THE PEOPLE, PLACES, ORIGIN AND ANY ASPECT OF A HISTORICAL NATURE CONCERNING THIS AND OTHER RELATED ITEMS. ---- W.H.LONG. (whlong2715@gmail.com)

Sorry this is so long, but we women were awarded the right to vote less than 100 years ago! We stand on the shoulders of those brave ones who fought this battle!

Photos above from left:

- Silver Suffragette Holloway brooch and Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) badge. Owned by Marion Wallace Dunlop (1864-1942). Holloway brooch awarded in 1909 [I have the original box.]

- Holloway brooch presented to Constance Collier in 1912 in original box. This brooch was presented to Constance Collier in 1912, after her imprisonment for breaking the windows of the John Lewis department store in Oxford Street, London in support of the cause.

- Eating implement issued to Holloway prisoners

- Hunger strike medal issued to Rona Robinson. The circular silver medal is inscribed "HUNGER STRIKE" on the front and "RONA ROBINSON" on the obverse. The bars are inscribed in descending order "FOR VALOUR", "OCTOBER 15th 1909" and "AUGUST 20th 1909. The two bars signify two separate arrests and hunger strikes that Rona endured for her cause. On the obverse of the top bar is the makers name and address "TOYE 57 THEABOLD RD LONDON" it is believed that no more than 100 of the medals were awarded; there is no answer to how many have survived.

---------------------------------------------------------------
An area of collecting I have become fascinated with is that of pins, badges and jewelry (if available) belonging to those brave women who fought for the right to vote. The material from Marion Wallace Dunlop was acquired from her nephew's estate and includes family photos, a letter from Lucy Shaw (George Bernard Shaw's sister) to Mrs. Pankhurst, and a lovely watercolor.

The cause of women's suffrage was a worldwide phenomenon, but we tend to have the most information on the British and American movements. Each was similar in that the initial push was for peaceful legislative change.

By 1905 in the UK, the media had lost interest in the struggle for women's rights. Newspapers rarely reported meetings and usually refused to publish articles and letters written by supporters of women's suffrage. Emily Pankhurst, the leader of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), advocated a new strategy of militancy to obtain the publicity that she thought would be needed in order to obtain the vote.

During the summer of 1908 the WSPU introduced the tactic of breaking the windows of government buildings. On June 30th suffragettes marched into Downing Street and began throwing small stones through the windows of the Prime Minister's house. As a result of this demonstration, twenty-seven women were arrested and sent to Holloway Prison.

Marion Wallace Dunlop, an exhibited painter and daughter of nobility was a supporter of women's suffrage and in 1900 she joined the Central Society for Women's Suffrage. She was also a socialist and from 1906 she was an active member of the Fabian Women's Group. She joined the WSPU and in July 1908 Wallace Dunlop was arrested and charged with "obstruction" and was briefly imprisoned.

On 25th June 1909 Wallace Dunlop was charged "with wilfully damaging the stone work of St. Stephen's Hall, House of Commons, by stamping it with an indelible rubber stamp, doing damage to the value of 10s." According to a report in The Times, Wallace Dunlop printed a notice that read: "Women's Deputation. June 29. Bill of Rights. It is the right of the subjects to petition the King, and all commitments and prosecutions for such petitionings are illegal."

In her book, Unshackled (1959) Christabel Pankhurst claimed: "Miss Wallace Dunlop, taking counsel with no one and acting entirely on her own initiative, sent to the Home Secretary, Mr. Gladstone, as soon as she entered Holloway Prison, an application to be placed in the first division as befitted one charged with a political offence. She announced that she would eat no food until this right was conceded."

Wallace Dunlop refused to eat for several days. Afraid that she might die and become a martyr, it was decided to release her after fasting for 91 hours. Soon afterwards other imprisoned suffragettes adopted the same strategy. Unwilling to release all the imprisoned suffragettes, the prison authorities force-fed these women on hunger strike. In one eighteen month period, Emily Pankhurst, who was now in her fifties, endured ten of these hunger-strikes.

To commemorate these brave actions, Sylvia Pankhurst designed a brooch and it was presented to Suffragette hunger strikers who had been incarcerated in Holloway prison for their militant actions in support of the cause.

The silver brooch is in the shape of a portcullis gate, representing the House of Commons, with a central convict's arrow enameled in the colors of the Suffragette movement - purple for dignity, green for hope and white for purity, and with convict chains to each side. The brooch was presented in a purple box with white satin lid and green velvet interior. The lid of the box is inscribed:

Presented to [name of hunger striker] by the Womens' Social and Political Union in recognition of a gallant act whereby through endurance to the last extremity of hunger and hardship a great principle of political justice was vindicated.

ITEMS LEFT BEHIND BY LUCILLE M. BELL, WHO WAS THE WIFE OF LAWRENCE DALE BELL, FOUNDER OF BELL AIRCRAFT CORPORATION. DATING -- 1938 TO 1944 ----. AMONG THE FIRST CUSTOMERS OF BELL AIRCRAFT CORP. WAS THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AND THE ROYAL AIR FORCE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. THIS BROOCH IS A P-39 AIRACOBRA FIGHTER AIRPLANE, OR OTHERWISE KNOWN BY THE RAF AS A P-400 CARIBOU FIGHTER AIRPLANE.---------- MAINLY USED DURING WORLD WAR 2 , BY THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE, THE ROYAL AIR FORCE, AND LATER, DUE TO THE "LEND/LEASE ACT", BY THE RUSSIAN AIR FORCE. ------- MATERIALS ----- SOLID PLATINUM, DIAMONDS, ROCK CRYSTAL, EMERALDS AND SAPPHIRES. INDICATIONS ARE OF EUROPEAN MANUFACTURE, DUE TO CLASP AND DETAIL OF CRAFTMANSHIP. OVERALL CONSTRUCTION INDICATES VERY EARLY, PRE-PRODUCTION BELL AIRCRAFT DESIGN. APROX. 3.25 INCHES FROM WING TIP TO WING TIP, ALL MATERIALS USED OF HIGHEST QUALITY. CURRENTLY BEING RESEARCHED AS TO PURPOSE, PEOPLE, AND OTHER HISTORICAL INFORMATION. THIS IS ONE OF TWO AIRACOBRA BROOCHES LEFT BEHIND BY LUCILLE M. BELL. THE OTHER P-39 AIRACOBRA BROOCH IS SOLID SILVER, APROX THE SAME SIZE. --- FOR SECURITY PURPOSES THE PRECIOUS STONE COUNT AND QUANTITY WILL NOT BE MADE PUBLIC AND CAN NOT BE DETERMINED FROM ANY PHOTOGRAPH MADE PUBLIC ---- ALSO THE LOCATION OF THESE ITEMS HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE MADE PUBLIC. --- THESE ITEMS ARE BEING RESEARCHED AS TO THEIR HISTORY, PEOPLE INVOLVED, EVENTS, AND CIRCUMSTANCES. --- W. H. LONG . (whlong2715@gmail.com)

This is a modern Georg Jensen Heritage piece: the Pendant of the Year 2015, made in sterling silver and set with labradorite.
I have shot 2 of the same pendant to illustrate how beautiful and unique each stone is.

I am an avid collector of eye portrait miniatures (known as lover's eyes, though this phrase is limited in its usage).

The earliest recorded eye portraits painted in England were executed by Ozias Humphry for his patron the Duke of Dorset in 1773, though it is believed the fashion started earlier in France and then migrated to England. From that period until the mid-1800s, eye miniatures were popular and many were painted, some by great artists, others by technically competent, unknown workmen artists. They were set in rings, pendants, brooches, stickpins, canes, toothpick cases and snuff boxes. I have a pair of cufflinks, each with a different eye. These portraits commemorated love, friendship, family and death.

During the late 1700s, the eye miniatures were smaller and often encased in a modified heart-shaped frame. Often the back enclosed a lock of hair. The frames might be plain, gem-set, or enameled with a lovely saying. For example, the eye to the right of the largest center heart is marked: Il Don de L'amitie "the gift of love" (or friendship). All of these eyes are hand-painted watercolor on ivory plaques.

Over a period of years, I collected these smaller eyes when I could find them and finally had enough to mount them on a contemporary chain as a necklace (I considered period chains, but wanted one where the eyes wouldn't flip to the backside...). The result is as above! Sorry, the photo isn't all that terrific!

This 1927 Liberty Dollar Necklace belonged to my late grandparents. It has a 16" long 18k chain. I really don't have any more info on this piece so any info you can tell me about this would be greatly appreciated.

This is a novelty whistle that looks like it needs to have its sides finished, when you press your fingers to each side of the ‘body’ it then makes the whistle actually whistle when you blow.
I have established the whistle was made in 1881 in Birmingham but I cant seem to find the silver maker M&M and I cant really make out the other symbols on the reverse

A one-off acrostic gold ring, circa 1800 in its original box. Acrostic jewelry utilized gemstones to convey messages of sentiment using a secret 'language'. Gemstones 'spoke' via their arrangement in jewels, using the first letter of the name of each stone to convey a motto, sentiment or an amorous intent. This acrostic ring is set with an enamel slipper and a harlequin array of foiled gemstones where the first letter of the name of each gemstone is used to form the phrase : Elle vous va - it fits you.

The message conveyed through the arrangement of gemstones is this Cinderella slipper fits you, i.e., this ring is made for you, let me slip it on your finger. No other examples are recorded in museum collections or jewelry reference books.

Pendant is hand-painted on ivory and loaded with symbolism. Written on the plaque "Strikingg likenefses of the King & Queen of England and the late King & Queen of France"

George III was King of England when Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were executed (1793).

The two profiles on the left are George III and Caroline. This would have been made at the height of his unpopularity in the late 18th century.

The urn is for mourning, mourning the death of the monarchy with the crown on top. The crown split in half symbolizes the destruction of the monarchy. The sword of justice slices the serpent - the king. The reference to France is to emphasize George was hated as much as the French monarchy. Apparently King George was so unpopular he was planning to go back to Hanover. He had a set of cutlery made for his return with just the Hanoverian crown on it.

Symbols: broken scepter, broken crown, fleur-de-lis, black urn surmounted by Crown of England along with thistle and rose at base.

A rare ring commemorating the death of Princess Amelia, the youngest of the 15 children of George III and Queen Charlotte. Amelia died at the age of 27 after a long illness.

She was the King's favorite child and his grief at her loss brought about a relapse into madness from which he never recovered. As Amelia lay dying, she pressed on her father's finger a ring containing a lock of her hair and uttered the words 'remember me.'

This ring is from a set of 52, designed according to her wishes, commissioned by her brother the Prince Regent and distributed to family and friends after her funeral at Windsor.

The white hoop is inscribed : Pss Amelia Died 2 Nov 1810 aged 27 and the enameled bezels feature a crowned cipher 'A' within a border inscribed Remember Me. This ring is from the Hanoverian collection of Ernst August II, King of Hanover and Amelia's brother. It is described and illustrated in Scarisbrick's Rings Jewelry of Power, Love and Loyalty and an example is in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Hi Group!
I need help with this ring please. A friend of mine owns it. Her Grandma gave it to her. No history to tell ( I wish!)
Can you all see the markings? It looks to me lie a circle, a 'Bull maybe', the I think I See '92'.
The 'circle' seems to have some marking in it, but I can't tell what.
Does anyone know this ring?
Thanks,
Herbgrower

This is an early Georg Jensen piece whose design has been reprised several times over the decades.
It features a delightful dove motif inside a leafy wreath, rendered in sterling silver. It is marked design #134, and bares hallmarks that date it between 1915 and 1925.

This is a beautifully crafted sterling silver brooch, handmade by Hugo Grøn - a Danish silversmith of the 20th century who participated in the Scandinavian Arts & Crafts movement of "skonvirke".
A pretty tulip design hallmarked HGr 830 and "aandarbejde" (handmade). Hugo Grun worked from his Copenhagen studio between 1918 and 1937.

This Ring has a beautiful meaningful story. I bought this for my daughter as she was counting to move out on her own and to move to another State,and wanted her to have something special from me to remember me how much I love her as you can imagine I was sad as I did not wanted her to leave. In my eyes she was still my baby and needs her mother well at least I like to believe that. Well a month after giving her this ring she decided that she change her mind and will stay with me a little longer and you can Image how happy I am. So this ring holds a special place in my heart. It is made with 18k gold rim silver with a beautiful touch of a pearl. It is hallmark will post as soon as I find information on maker. Hope you like it :)

It only says Taxco and silver on the back. My mom doesn't remember where/when she bought it. Each section of chain is approximately 6 and a half inches long and the pendant drops about another 2 and 1 half inches. The stone appears to be amethyst or a fake amethyst. The part from which the amethyst hangs ( which resembles frog legs) is hinged and sways when the necklace moves.

Again, looking for a maker. Acquired in San Antonio, TX, USA (but could be from anywhere). No identifying marks, even on the posts. Both the shell? and silver-tone parts are cold (not plastic). No part is magnetic. Age unknown. Materials unknown (therefore I'm not sure if they fall under fashion or fine). This is not my usual style so I'm stuck as to where to start. Ideas welcome. Thanks.

I bought this Silver necklace in Sri Lanka, it is very me, loud and colourful. I will let you decide what stones you think are in this pendant. It's large, 3 1/2 in perimeter and heavy and it has been handmade, I love it.
Many thanks for looking

A very old enameled pendant with a cut steel edge. Probably from the early days of the 19th century. I have also already posted such kind of jewelry, a brooch on CW, which is even older namely from the end of the 18th century (photo 3|)with an edge of cut steel and Silesian meshwork.
http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/131039-silesian-iron-wire-work-cut-steel-brooc
The front has cut steel surround and this cut steel has more than 12 cuts which is for sure old dated late 19th century. If there are more than 16 cuts as my de-parure written about this would date it to 1816-17. Cut steel was very expensive and popular in the Georgian era, each piece of steel in attached separately to the frame as this setting.
The enamel of this pendant is beautiful in color including the bright color blue and pink. Reminds me of spring. There is a very small hairline crack in the enamel but that is seen almost exclusively through a magnifying glass.
The pendant is 4.5 inches long

Looking for a little info on this pin. I think it dates back to 1895-1910...but I am just not sure. I can find similar but not this exact pin. It is approximately 1 1/2 inches from wing to wing at it's widest point. Sterling silver with a hook closure.

Here's another nice little onyx and silver pendant that would go very nicely with the bracelet I posted yesterday. This one is marked .925 Italy on the chain and .925 on the back of the onyx's mount. The chain is very silky and smooth with a bit of weight to it. -Mike-

I would like to show you a new addition to complement my Micro Mosaic antique jewelry collection. It is a 18ct yellow ( I see one very tiny mark not to decode but acid tested 18ct gold) gold Micro Mosaic flower pendant. This kind of pendant was missing till now in my collection. Outside the Micro Mosaic flowers of fine glass tesserae three coral flowers. Again a very nice antique piece that I am very happy of course. Dated around 1850.
There should be only one suspension ring made of gold.
The sizes are 5 x 4 cm.

Six vintage natural branch coral necklaces!
They will become rarer and rarer as coral was over harvested in past decades...
All bought under $70, I picked 3 in two weeks!
I must stop ;-)

They are pictured for display on antique stone statues, the head beeing an Angkor authentic, bought by my grand-father in 1926 from EFEO, "école française d'extrême orient", who solded damaged pieces to raise funds for Angkor restoration! (Happily, this method didn't last...)

This pendant is made in the 19th century and is a work of Vidin goldsmith workshops. These artists create in the style of Chiprovtsi goldsmith school. This school has its origins in the 12th century and its tradition continued until 1947 when the communist regime nationalized everything. This goldsmith school is one of the best in Southeast Europe but unfortunately its traditions already failed!

This was a save for me by my friend at Salvation. I'm not a 100% sure what the stone is but I'm hoping onyx. The inside has several marks but Mexico and .950 are very clear. I know .950 is also used for platinum but this piece is tarnished almost black in areas and platinum doesn't tarnish. So we have very pure silver and a beautiful oval black cabochon. The spring hinge works great and it opens in the front just above and below the stone. Muy bonita !! -Mike-

This little watch measures one inch in diameter. On the face of the dial it says Spaulding Co. under the number 12. The back opens and there is a place to put a picture then another plate that opens to show the actual works. Both of the back plates have the same markings except the inner one also has SWISS at the bottom and a place where a jeweler scratched his mark. I hope the pictures are such that the marks can be read. This is so small it is difficult to catch a good image.

I am not having much luck even with Spaulding Co. to pin this down. I don't see a model number or name. I believe the watch was purchased between 1900 - 1926 in Manchester Vermont. It winds but doesn't run. I would like to date it more closely and have an opinion on whether fixing it would cost more than it is worth, assuming it can be fixed at all.

I bought this necklace at a silent auction and there are no trademarks or other identifying marks on it. It reminds me of Brighton, but since it doesn't have the B anywhere I doubt it is. Does anyone know who made or sold this necklace? The stone looks amethyst like, but maybe pinker. Although it's primarily silver, there is a band around the stone that looks yellow gold. Thank you for any help!!!

Some time ago I Showed you this Berlin Iron iron bracelet dated end 18s beginning 19s on this site. I already know some thing from there. But not (yet) which figure is shown. So my question to my fellow collectors:
Who can tell me which person in the image ?

Our fellow collector Solver suggested Minerva and I see a great resemblance, you too?

In localised Celtic polytheism practised in Britain, (Sulis) Minerva was a deity worshipped at the thermal spring of Bath (now in Somerset). She was worshipped by the Romano-British as Sulis Minerva, whose votive objects and inscribed lead tablets suggest that she was conceived of both as a nourishing, life-giving mother goddess and as an effective agent of curses wished by her votaries.
Photo 4 is a Gilt bronze head from the cult statue of Sulis Minerva from the Temple at Bath, found in Stall Street in 1727 and now displayed at the Roman Baths (Bath).
As you can see on my earlier posting of this bracelet:
http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/139874-berlin-iron-bracelet-with-cameo-clasp-la
The other cast iron cameo depicting Psyche .
Minerva or also called Menerva is a personification of the divine power of the mind, of the ingenuity of the human mind. In addition to the other cameo on the clasp of this bracelet depicting Psyche for the mind is a logical combination to display on a piece of jewelry in my opinion .

This is another piece with historic interest, and another sleeper. Lazy auctioneers were selling unredeemed pawns for the melt price a few years ago without researching them. Duh - how hard was it to look up the hallmarks? I researched it on my cellphone at the auction and the maker came up straight away.

Swedish born Roland Mellin (1803-1871) became a master goldsmith in Helsinki in 1833, then founded the firm of Roland Mellin, the preeminent Finnish firm of gold and silversmiths in the 19th Century.

This piece is hallmarked by his son, Otto Roland Mellin (1834 -1904). He was among the foundation graduates of the Technical Realschule in Helsinki, where classes commenced in 1858. He continued his studies in St Petersburg and Paris, and succeeded his father in their firm in 1868.

Otto is best known for his Archaeological Revival jewellery based on Nordic artefacts. Among his claims to fame was his position as court jeweller to Finnish born Aurora Karamzina, a long-time member of the inner circle of the Romanovs (the Russian Emperors ruled the Grand Duchy of Finland as an autonomous part of the Russian Empire from 1809 to 1917).

This brooch is 45mm wide and 60mm high including the drop. It has a removable bale that allows it to convert to necklace, I am not sure whether this is original or a later addition. The stones are almandine garnets.

My personal conclusion about this piece is that it shows an interest in naturalistic form that is seen in some of the best Mid-Victorian jewelry.

This interest was possibly influenced by Japanese art, and is now known as the Aesthetic Movement, or the "Cult of Beauty", which was a prelude to Arts & Crafts and Art Nouveau. As such, this is quite different to the archaeological revival pieces for which Otto Roland Mellin is most famous.

Some recent posts by Bluboi reminded me just how fascinating historical jewels can be. If Bluboi is who I think she is then we're seeing pieces from an extraordinary collection by someone who has devoted a huge amount of time to curating wonderful jewels on the web for the benefit of us all.

So I've reached into the back of the Tardis for an historical piece or two. I'm a treasure hunter and sleeper hunter, and this one was one of my better finds, because it passed through a prominent local auction house and dealer without anyone noticing the obvious and flamboyantly scratched "PL" signature on the back.

Paul-Victor LEBAS was a prominent C19th cameo sculptor in Paris, at 19 Rue Guenegaud. He was active 1851-1876. Lebas exhibited at the Paris Salons and worked with the jewellers Caillot & Peck, specialists in cameo settings. His best known works are the cameo portraits of the young Queen Victoria (now in the V&A, see: http://www.vam.ac.uk/users/node/4981) and Napoleon III's son (now in the Met, see: http://metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/198597).

This is a hardstone cameo portrait of the young Alexander III of Russia, completed circa 1866-7, and probably based on images from a couple of years earlier when he was aged about 19, long before he became Tsar in 1881.

Further details can be seen here: http://www.theholygrail.com/Cameo-AlexanderIII.pdf

This was a surprise find today at the local flea for $2.00. The minute I saw it sitting on a table. I knew it was Baltic Amber and grabbed it as fast I could. I was very lucky to have found this bracelet. Thanks for looking

i bought this at a saturday swap meet and i fell in love with it, iridescent purple blue jeweled rhinestone brooch pin, dont know the history, no hallmark or signature, not even sure if its real or not, or what the stones are called lol, but i love it

I like larger pieces of jewelry, especially rings. I think that my hands are rather big, and small rings look ridiculous on my fingers. Oh well, I have to live with it.

This ring might be a recent vintage item. It is in excellent shape. I like the palm tree (at least I hope that’s what it is)! Palm trees remind of sunshine and warm weather. I am sooo sick and tired of the winter.

This is an antique moving mourning jewelry. It may have been one half of a pair of earrings there is a brooch made of, hence the more modern safety clasp. This brooch consists of whole fine filigree buttons. Under glass (Essex?) The image of two hearts and, if I see a good irascible bird (dove) between two bushes / trees. It seems to be partly to see a drawing but there is also some structure (below the bird) maybe hair.
The brooch is not marked but tested as 14ct gold and is quite small: 3 x 1.8 cm.

My step-mother just gave me this necklace, but she couldn't remember anything about it's provenance. It has some design components that are reminiscent of Art Nouveau, but a couple of things have me wondering if it's contemporary. The tiny toggle clasp seems odd, as does the fact that the back of the pendant has decorative components. Remember that these are the musings of a novice. :-) I would be very appreciative for your expert opinions.

I've driven myself crazy looking for a mark, and haven't found one. I tested it and got a result of 14k, although I'm new at metal testing so take that into consideration.

The pendant has a vine theme that is continued to the chain. The opals in the central part of the pendant are oval cabochons except for the top one which is pear-shaped and mirrors the larger shaped opal that dangles from the bottom. Sadly, they're in terrible shape.

Help needed for the maker's mark!!!
This is a salvage.
Seller auctioned the two monkeys as individual!
My "kyratisation" was to add a chain, a lacking end pearl and an old bead below.
The acrobatic monkeys brooches exists too in diamonds, the back of the swinging one set with colored stones.
I saw one signed by Knoll and Pregizer.
These monkeys are fine costume, unmarked gold and silver, pastes.
The upper monkey bears an unknown maker's mark (same as on last pic, from an other auction).

I have this exact mark on several other brooches with pastes too, and still unable to find the maker :-(

This ring is a bit too busy for my likings. I prefer simpler designs but I like amethysts and the ring intrigued me – so I bought it!

I believe the ring is made of silver. There is a mark inside but it is incomplete and hard to deceiver. Based on the metalwork I would think that it could be Chinese, possibly from the early part of the last century.

There is not much to say about this little pin other than I like amethysts and that’s the reason I bought it. It is marked only with 925 and based on the construction of the pin I would guess it is a recent vintage item.

In the second half of the 19th century, archaeologists were capturing the imagination of the Victorian public with their breathtaking excavations of Etruscan tombs in Italy.The discovery of those Etruscan tombs inspired jewelers to re-create some of the amazing treasures that these ancient people took along with them into the afterlife. Therefore antique Etruscan jewelry got a revival and this jewelry is distinctive and elaborate.
This brooch is such an example. Made by a very good craftsman and a well made example of this type of jewelry.
This round brooch has a diameter of 3 cm and is provided with a safety chain and pin. Unfortunately the round glass back is missing.

Does anyone know how I could get a new round glass with a diameter of 22.2 / 22.3 mm?
The brooch was made in England. Perhaps you can help me with the 4 hallmarks, see photo.
.375 and a 9 which means 9ct gold. Than the hallmark of the city of Chester. Then what I probably can see the letter L = 1894.
Mystery solved thanks you all for help!

This beautiful Jugendstil long guard or muff chain is made of silver and has 6 gold caged malachite beads. The chain links have a paperclip shape and the malachites have a very good size, of about one centimeter. It has a maker's mark for Gustav Hauber, whose workshop was based in Schwäbisch Gmünd, which together with Pforzheim was an important jewellery manufacturing centre in Germany at the turn of the century. The chain also has an Austrian import mark. It dates back to around 1900. By the way, The Hauber jewellery company still exists today.

I recently purchased this item and can't find anything similar. Has anyone seen something like this? It is silver and the back buckle is soldered on. It is about 3 inches in diameter. It has crudely stamped x's going around the outside of the circle but no signature that I see. Any comments would be appreciated. Thank you.

Original design sketch for a pendant watch for the famed French jeweler Georges Fouquet (1862-1957), possibly for presentation at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle. Published in Art et Decoration Vol. VII (1900), pg. 130 as “Dessin de Montre” and republished for a US audience in Vanity Fair in May 1901. Black ink heightened with gouache on cream paper. Signed Mucha (lower right).

Mucha and Fouquet collaborated for a short period from 1899 to 1901. At a time when the emphasis had been on precious stones in traditional settings usually derived from the Louis XVI period, Fouquet and Mucha together redefined fine jewelry design, espousing the belief that the beauty of a jewel depends on its artistic conception. Materials were chosen for their contribution to the overall design, not for their intrinsic value.

Mucha conceived a spectacular series of elaborate jewels to be executed by Fouquet in his Paris atelier. Those objects formed the centerpiece of Fouquet's display at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris. In 1901, he asked Mucha to carry out an idea that he had kept in mind for a number of years: Fouquet wanted new premises in which the interior decoration harmonized with the jewelry he was creating. By the end of the year, he had moved his business to the Rue Royale, where the interiors were of unparalleled Art Nouveau sumptuousness. - Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Mucha designed interiors for Fouquet’s atelier were preserved and are visible for touring at the Musée Carnavalet, 23 rue de Sévigné, 75003 Paris. (see here: http://untappedcities.com/2013/02/14/alphonse-mucha-jewelry-shop-replica/ )

Similar pieces of known Mucha/Fouquet jewelry can be found here, many with the same design motifs or features as in the illustration above:

Exceptionally rare toadstone rings circa 15th-17th centuries. There are similar examples in the British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum and the Cheapside Horde at the Museum of London.

Toadstone is an amuletic stone which was highly prized for its magical powers. Toadstones [which were believed to come from the heads of living toads], are actually the fossilized teeth of Lepidotus, an extinct genus of ray-finned fish from the Jurassic period. Alternatively, some toadstone rings were agate stones. Toadstones were considered to be an antidote for poison and were also used in the treatment of epilepsy. Mothers wore toadstones to protect their children from being swapped for changelings.

In folklore, a toadstone had to be removed from a toad while the creature was still alive to retain its magical power. Topsell [1608] gave instructions on how to remove the stone from a live toad, by placing it on a red cloth and waiting for it to belch out the toadstone.

Lupton [1627] suggested an equally imaginative way to extract the jewel: ' Put a great or overgrowne Tode... into an earthen pot, and put the same in an Ants hillocke, and cover the same with Earth, which Toade at length the Ants will eate. So that the bones of the Toade and stone will be left in the Pot...'

Left to right:
- Probably German late 16th/ early 17th century toadstone ring, made with the palatal tooth of the fossilized fish Lepidotus. The ring is silver set with the toadstone in a closed-back setting with piecrust edge.
- English amuletic ring, high-carat gold, 15th century, set with a 'toadstone' that is most likely an agate.
- English high carat gold and toadstone ring, circa 1700. The toadstone in this ring, set in a rubover setting is the fossilized tooth of Lepidotes.

A very rare and immaculate, custom-made 14K gold bangle bracelet with an elaborate floral design and a central ivy leaf motif with white enamel in the leaf veins and a central old mine cut diamond approx 3/4 ct. The leaf opens to a daguerrotype of a US Civil War soldier, most likely from the Union Army, circa 1860-1865.

Art Deco Sterling Silver & Enamel Necklace With Mythical Character Pan. Beautiful 17 1/4" long Art Deco sterling silver and enamel necklace. The center pendant is 1 1/8" tall x 5/8" wide and the side segments are each 7/8" long x 1/4" wide. Weighs 7 grams, and is marked "Sterling" with what looks like a small hallmark.

Does anyone recognize the maker's mark?

]]>Fine Jewelry / Fine Jewelry Necklaceshttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/150657-art-deco-enamel-and-sterling-silver-neckhttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/150657-art-deco-enamel-and-sterling-silver-neckRing. I I have no clue what kind of ring it is.http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/150630-ring-i-i-have-no-clue-what-kind-of-ring
Sat, 28 Feb 2015 19:04:17 -0800

Does anyone know anything about this ring? I got this from a few months ago and I'm trying to figure out what kind of ring it is.

Sibyl Dunlop sterling ring set with a large oval ametrine surrounded by fire opals, chalcedony and chrysoprase. In its original box marked Sibyl Dunlop 69 Church Street, Kensington W.8 (London)

Ametrine, also known as trystine or by its trade name as bolivianite, is a naturally occurring variety of quartz. It is a mixture of amethyst and citrine with zones of purple and yellow or orange. Almost all commercially available ametrine is mined in Bolivia.

Boucheron convertable pendant/brooch, with rose cut diamonds and pearls set in 18K and silver, in original box with a small compartment for the brooch mechanism. Brooch is circa 1868.

The House of Boucheron is a French family dynasty founded by Frederic Boucheron in 1858, with the opening of his first store in the Galerie de Valois, at Palais-Royal, during the heyday of the Second French Empire. He created his atelier in 1866 and a year later won the Gold Medal during the Exposition Universelle (1867).

In 1893, Frédéric Boucheron became the first jeweller to move to Place Vendôme. Legend has it that he chose 26 Place Vendôme, where Boucheron remains to this day, because it was the sunniest corner of the square. He believed that the diamonds in the windows would sparkle all the more brilliantly.

An incredible and rare Antonio Aguatti micromosaic brooch, circa 1800-1820, of Beatrice Cenci set in a high carat gold frame (micromosaic size: 2 5/16 x 1 7/8 in.). This attribution is confirmed by Jeannette Hanisee Gabriel, curator and author of Micromosaics, The Gilbert Collection, and another version of this piece is on page 233.

This micromosaic is after a portrait (purportedly) of Beatrice Cenci in the Uffizi Palace, attributed to Guido Reni. Beatrice Cenci was a young Roman woman who, with her stepmother and brother, conspired to murder her father, Francisco Cenci (1549-98), a wealthy but cruel man. They succeeded in having him murdered in his bed and subsequently, all three were arrested, tortured and eventually executed. Beatrice was made famous by a number of literary works, including a tragedy by Shelley (The Cenci). An excellent review of the story is at this link:
http://www.lrb.co.uk/v20/n13/charles-nicholl/screaming-in-the-castle-the-case-of-beatrice-cenci

Antonio Aguatti (or Aquatti) was one of the most prominent micromosaic artists, working in the late 18th-early 19th century in Rome. Antonio Aguatti introduced two subtle refinements. He produced tesserae in shapes other than square or rectangular and by fusing glass threads of different colors he produced patterned tesserae called millefiori. Millefiori tesserae added a new dimension to micromosaics because they allowed more realistic representations of eyes, fur, feathers, petals and leaves. The finest micromosaics have around 1,400 tesserae per square inch and, at first glance, look like painted enamel.

I have no idea what type of necklace this is but found some information on line, that makes me think this might be from the 1970's.

I´m still interested in more informationen though. What you would call it? The beads are big and chuncky. The largest bead is about 1,5 x 1,9 inches and quite heavy. It doesn´t seam to be bakelite but some other type of plastic. I love the amber color.

My Great Nanna had an uncle Heck who owned an opal mine back in the 1896 approx the jewelery was handed down different pieces to myself and my sisters, these are the ones I received. I have worn the ring and the bangle for a while when I was younger but the stone on the ring sunk due to getting wet and faded also band broke. Bangle broke on dragons face and a stone on its head which fell out so is lost.

Not sure what type of stone they are also other necklace white stone not sure either?

I had picked these all out separately because of their sterling silver marks. I then noticed they all had the same "V" with a dot in the middle of it marked on them. Now I don't know if it has to do with the maker or the type of silver so it's kind of a mystery. They are all very different pieces. The pendant has an interesting square grey flat pearl, a flat tile of some kind of stone and a gold colored bead. The ear rings have single clear square cut stones with wire loops. The flower/star pendant has a single large clear stone in the middle which is open at the back, but is missing it's chain. They are all marked .925 and have the odd "V" with the dot in the middle mark. I can't find anything online. So what do these pieces have in common ?? It's a mystery :) -Mike-

I currently live in Costa Rica, an old man recently gave me this ring. He said he found it 50 years ago in the dirt near to where there used to be a small lake which is now a football field here in Monteverde Costa Rica and that it was completely black before he polished it. The feel of the gold is of a different quality than I have felt before. If any one has any information about this ring it would be appreciated.

a nice , hand carved ivory pendant or medallion With a red stone in center which might be a garnet, but I'm not sure about that.
the tiny hand-carved details of the ivoryshould have been executed by an erbach workshop, where most of the german ivory carvings has been made in the past.
unfortunately it is damaged but still worth showing i thought...
i'm not sure about the age

These are a few of my favorite lockets from my collection. With all of the jewelry that comes and goes, lockets are my absolute favorite. I can't part with them. I love the history of lockets and I love that the sentimental value far exceeds any monetary value.

This is a modernist necklace and bracelet by Rune Tennesmed Sweden. It was made in the late 1960's or beginning of the 70's. It's made of pewter and glass. I love the dark almost purple blue and the light blue together with the rawness of the pewter. Wonderful design that still feels modern, more than 40 years later.

This is a silverring from Finland with a great huge rockcrystal. I like the modern look of this. From the style I believe it´s vintage from 1960-1980 but I can´t be sure. I have not been abel to find out who made it. I don´t regognice the makersmark.

The St. George and the Dragon legend has been around for centuries and has been captured in many paintings as well as jewelry such as this lovely piece. With colorful enamel, the brooch depicts St. George on horseback slaying the dragon. Please see the detail section for additional photographs.
Because until recently I have seen only one similar brooch I found it a challenge to find the same kind of brooch to match my pendant (already some years in my possession and on CW see http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/93313-austro-hungarian-antique-enameled-st-ge).
That's finally done and let me see you here.
Austro Hungarian St. George slaying dragon silver enameled brooch surrounded by a row of stones which I think it is paste as usual in that Georgian period of time.
There are some wear spots in the enamel, but all the stones are present, the brooch fits well and has a diameter of about 3 cm.

Im just looking to see if anyone knows anything about this ring. My father gave it to me just before he past away. He told me it was my great grandfather from Germany. So Im assuming it's a German antique ring.

This brooch is very similar to the one in my earlier post, and the floral motif suggests is by the same designer. It too is made of 800 silver. This one has green enamel and a central red garnet. It was either made or influenced by the likes of Max J Gradl and Patriz Huber. Manufactured in Pforzheim, Germany around 1900.
The other brooch: http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/149508-jugendstil-floral-silver-brooch-from-pfo?in=user

this ring is so pretty. i wear it on my middle finger, as it's a bigger ring. it is 10 karat plumb yellow gold.it is marked 10KP followed by a diamond shaped symbol. i am unsure of the age of this ring.

this ring was sold to me as being made of 8k gold. maybe they meant 18k ? I won it on an online auction. It is rose gold. The pearls are 4mm, and the cushion cut diamond is a little bit over 4mm. It is marked inside the band with, I believe an A and 4.

This is another piece from Pat Cheney.
This bracelet is probably from the early 1980s I love her jewellery, the colours of her enamelling appeals to me. I've collected a few pieces of hers, bracelets, pendants and earrings. I have written about her on one of my other postings.
Many thanks for looking.

Picked up this unusual 1 3/4" sterling silver filigree cross at Salvation this morning. It is marked .925 Italy G.W. on the two attachment links by the clasp. The cross has five colored open back stones in it. One black, one green, one larger red stone, one opaque pink and one opaque white stone. Not sure what they are but, it gives the cross a stained glass window effect when light passes through them. -Mike-

This is a great piece that I think has an interesting shape and form. Very organic and has a great feel when wearing it. I bribe this was a custom made piece and is very solid for its size. Thanks for looking

I purchased this very unique ring from an antique dealer a couple of days ago- I just fell in love with it the moment I saw it!

It is solid silver and marked 900, I know this is continental and means 90% silver but I am struggling to date this piece! I believe it is a stylised dolphin (back in the day before we discovered Dolphins were mammals and not fish!)
I'm usually quite good and dating pieces and specialise in victorian jewellery but this piece is throwing me!

Some people will remember this ring on CW when I posted it on here when I first joined this forum. As you can see its a knuckle duster of a ring, 18 ct Gold the diamonds are set in Platinum, and it's very heavy. There are 2 pieces I'm putting on today, I deleted both of them while my iPad was having a malfunction which happens a lot to me. Whilst researching for other pieces I've came across very similar pieces, hench these 2 pieces will have been be solved.
Many thanks for looking

Big enamel damage on this extraordinary enamel!
Charles F. VARLEY was a famous enamelist who's works were integrated to Archibald KNOX boxes and jewellery for Liberty and Co.

Though unsigned and unmarked, it is undoubtful his work :-)
1.5/8" diameter.

Big part of my repair was to shape the white Fimo polymer clay to fill the lacking part in slight rounded shape...
Water color pencils rubbed on wet make-up thin brush, applied before heating in the oven at 110 celsius for 20 minutes.
Then protected with a thin layer of top coat nail polish.

This is a pretty brooch in classic German Jugendstil. Made in Pforzheim around 1900. There is no maker's mark but the design is in the style of Max Gradl and Patriz Huber who were actively producing jewellery designs for the Pforzheim factories at that time. It is only marked 800 on the back. The floral motif contrasts with the geometric lines of the background, brought together by a central saphire-coloured glass cabochon at the centre.

I think these are a million years old - or in biblical timeline - 3000? Either way they are OLD. I found them at Tucson's gem show a few wks ago. My birthstone.

From yahoo search:

"Much of the opal deposition is not precious. It is called "potch" by the miners, or common opal by the mineralogist, as it does not show a play of colour. Opaline silica not only fills the larger voids mentioned but also may fill the pore space in silt and sand size sediments cementing the grains together forming unique deposits, known as matrix, opalised sandstone or "concrete" which is a more conglomeratic unit near the base of early Cretaceous sediments."

The stone beads on top are chalcedony and on left labadorite. Also Old in Earth terms and New in Bead terms.

How beautiful is the Sonora, AZ desert?

Friends from Australia - please give me comments. I was told these were Australian but the seller was Chinese. I love them, not complaining.

Here's a few little sterling pieces I picked up at Salvation today. The pendant is marked Thailand .925, but the chain is marked Italy .925. Probably replaced at some time. The tiny stones are an odd "points" up black material of some kind. They have a rainbow iridescent like coal. The earrings are also marked .925 with another small mark. A letter inside an oval. I have no clue as to the type of stone in these. They're an intense peacock blue iridescent color and opened at the back. There are also rings and layers like wood so made abalone shell or maybe an agate of some kind. -Mike-

I'm looking for some help on this beautiful antique ring I just got.
It seems to be of the Georgian period with rose cut diamonds set in gold. It has some hallmarks that I'm hopping someone out there can help me with.
One looks like the Greek p , the middle one looks like a bird. Any help will be appreciated

This was a longtime coming. My dream cuff in a rare Merenci Turquoise. The centre Turquoise is more than 1.50'. And I have matching Earrings that are also huge. I was surprised how heavy this cuff is and is a wonderful addition to my collection. Thanks for looking !

These earrings need a good cleaning. I’ll give them some TLC when I have some time. I like the colour and the simple design but I am not too sure if they are turquoise or glass. I believe that both materials were used in Mexican jewelry. I am more inclined to say that they are glass.

Found this at e flea market hear in central Va. about 4mos. ago.for a pretty decent price Its mid century Taxco with a#2 tax stamp. and is initialed on the inside MQS AND 925. It' heavy at 26 grams with one large Tiger Eye cab and a smaller Lapis cab. The whole structure and design of the ring is incredible I have seen only one other ring by this artisan that was also very large and heavy but having only one very large Pyrite. It was about 1 1/4" by about 3/4" in size. I love to find and collect these taxco modern pieces and native american as well as other sterling jewelry.Bt this is probably the most unique. If anyone has owned or owns a piece by this maker or knows who it is would be very helpful. And many thanks in advance. Greg

My newest Limoges (France) enameled sparkling 14K gold set pendant.
What I find so special about Limoges enamel is the deep babbling colors are shown here again. This pendant shows a lady with a deep neckline and a scarf with flowers to the head. At the back of the enamel is, as usually in Limoges enamel: Email d 'Art.
There are two labels on the ring of the pendant. The first a Dutch 14K gold label. The other is probably the author, not good to see.
The pendant weighs 4 grams and its dimensions are: 30x25 mm.
This pendant is a nice combination with my Limoges ring (earlier published on CW). You see this combination on photo number 4.

I bought it from same seller than the sodalite ring.
Pics were blurry, described as 14k brooch.
All I saw was the diamonds were removed at some time, and suspected the hinged bale!

When I got it, it was incredibly dirty, the windex wash turned dark yellow, eeek!
But there were the bale and mark 14K & plat!
Plus a marker's mark A O in a circle, stamped on a circular plaque on the reverse. Haven't try to identify for the moment :-)

Green stones (cracked) are chrysoprase (or stained green agate).

I replaced missing diamonds with rhinestones (don't have diamonds of right size), waiting to get cz silver nose studs I ordered to complete the inlay in green stones.

I don't have a lot of history on this it was given to us as we had a death in the family. They also were not given any information.
I have tried to read the back of the necklace to get as much information as possible., But it is very difficult to see. I believe I was able to make out PEC on the back for Pectoral.
I have looked for images everywhere of this necklace to find out anything I can. No luck!

Since I started studying at Silesian meshwork , Berlin Iron and early Cut steel jewelry and moreover I saw a pair of earrings with a cut steel edge which were the same as a brooch I showed you about 4 years ago on CW. I came to the conclusion that this brooch is even older thanI thought. I suppose it's around 1780. That’s why I show you this brooch again today.
It’s a really lovely original late Georgian brooch in cut steel, with mother of pearl back. The front has cut steel surround and this cut steel has about 16 cuts which is for sure very old dated early 1800s. The brooch is set porcelain showing a young lady on the swing being pushed what appears to be a servant or footman. In excellent wearing condition.
Size 35 x 30mms , weight 11gramms. Circa 1820.

I believe this is real amber where each bead has a different color scheme and un-uniform characteristic. The inclusion, I believe is called blood inclusion in amber, though I have not found amber that is so clear like this. One of the bead has bubble in it.

This necklace is a real beauty and the beads are super large and bold. I think the size is approximately 24-30mm in length and width. Super chunky.

I bought this brooch a few days ago. I was surfing through ebay and this caught my eye, also the price was good. Well I bought him and I then began to research were he came from. The photos are from the seller.
He is a beautiful array of greens and blues. I suppose what caught my eye was his tail feathers, or plumage. Of the other Peacocks I saw, their was only one that had the inner enamelling. On this Peacock the shape of the outer feathers are fine and slightly curved over to give it a arch look. The peacocks I saw on ebay looked really chunky. He needs a bit of restoration on his front, but I think he's lovely. I did think he was Art Nouveau with the C clasp and hinge, now I'm not so sure.
He his silver gilt filigree and enamel, I think his country of origin is Portugal and the name of this type of work is Topazio filigree. I'm not a 100 percent sure, so if you have any other ideas please let me know.
Many thanks for looking.

This is one of my latest finds. It is marked with “STER” and a different word but I cannot read it; I think it start with a K. The pin is rather sturdy although it looks almost delicate. It somehow reminds of Scottish designs but I don’t know anything about it. I cleaned it only a bit. I think the patina gives it some character.
Any help would be appreciated.

This beautiful ring was an anniversary present. It is made of 14K gold set with a wonderful milky opal. It is probably British made around 1900. The delicate leaf decoration is reminiscent of the work of Rhoda Wager.

This is a Silver Enamel pendant/necklace, by the Scottish Jeweller designer /maker Norman Grant. I have a piece of his work on another post, that tells you some information about him, it's the pendant with the silver Swans on an Agate background
On this piece is the makers Mark NG a thistle for Scotland and a castle for Edinburgh, the R is for the year 1972.
I find his work striking, this is a whopping 10cm x 10cm usually I don't wear large pendants but I love this, it is great to wear. I'm going to say nothing else about the pendant and let it speak for itself.

Keeping on a Chinese jewellery theme , these are a pair of Chinese enamel filigree earrings. They are in gold vermeil over silver, the stone on the stud and in the middle of the oval drop are Amethyst encased in gold filigree. As you can see there is a blue filigree ball between the stud and the drop. The oval shaped drops are a lovely filigree enamel at the front and back. I love this type of jewellery the colours are extraordinary.
Many thanks for looking.

First was bought EBay United Kingdom,
Gold, rosecut diamonds, emeralds silver setting, ruby eyes.
But... An Indian seller have same! (Pics are not copied from original listing!): http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=301527884655
The catch on mine seem rather modern :-/

Second one is unmarked 14k gold, enamel, white stones (not diamonds!) and green stones.
It has a hook on back, so it is a watch pin!

I purchased a box of small stuff at an auction. Inside the box was this tiny, one-inch box. Inside this box was this coin, an Indian Head 2 1/2 dollar gold piece! I just love it when things like this happen to me...they hardly ever do by the way.....

I just bought this from the gw it looks old and I am trying to figure out how to open this any suggestions. Is this a real watch and how are you supposed to wind it? It has swiss on the face, I tried to unscrew it but I think I am chipping the paint off any ideas? thank you!

This one is a pin from end of 19th century, unmarked gold, rosecut diamonds set in silver, ruby eyes.

(why does these insect pins always have red eyes? Must be to reflect their cruelty, eeek!).

The body has a rather dull mabe type pearl, I would love a carbuncle garnet cab or opal instead, but not find one convenient yet!
On the other hand, certainly not willing to ruin it by removing the pearl :-/

This was part of the collectors stash. That he acquired about 40 years ago. I loved the necklace at first sight. And which I now proudly own. I sold a necklace like this one and regretted selling afterwards. I am blessed and grateful. Thanks for looking!

Egyptian Head Ring marked 985. Egyptian Head is designed in semi precious stone of colors as shown. This was bought in the East Village of Manhattan about 30 yrs ago at a street fair. Any information or thought about it or its meaning or perhaps history is appreciated. Does anyone believ it could be Egyptian Gold? Thank you .

Brought home from Italy as a gift for my Mother, this cameo was given to me after her passing. I've always loved it, but locked it away and never wore it. Anyone with any information about it, I'd love to hear from you!